Not every fictional monster manages to become a legend in just a few years. But if you’re a horror enthusiast, chances are that you’re familiar with the story of the Slender Man – a creepypasta character that became one of the most recognizable figures in online horror. The history of this character started as a few edited images posted on an online forum in 2009.
Surprisingly, people and strangers around the world started finishing his original story from a contest post, and as a result, the character moved from a forum post to a YouTube series, creepypasta communities, viral video games, documentaries, and even Hollywood.
In this article, we’ll overview the complete timeline of Slender Man and describe what happened to the character year by year.
2009: Slender Man Is Created
Similar to many famous horror characters, the timeline of the Slender Man begins in 2009. It was when Eric Knudsen (under the username Victor Surge) uploaded two black-and-white images that showed groups of children and featured a tall, faceless figure standing in the background. This was Slender Man.
The aim of this post was to take part in a Photoshop contest on the Something Awful forum. But instead of just posting edited pictures, he made a story out of them and included captions suggesting that the children later disappeared. It turns out that was enough for horror fans to become curious and start expanding the story themselves.
Soon, people were sharing their own images, theories, and fictional accounts across the internet. For sure, that same appetite for something eerie and interactive hasn’t gone anywhere. It just shows up differently now, and people may visit Oxibet or other entertainment platforms to look for dynamic digital experiences. Still, the idea of Slender Man spread in a particularly unusual way.
2010-2011: The Slenderverse Takes Over the Internet
The mysterious Slender Man quickly left the Something Awful forum and started circulating over the internet. No one knew who the author of the original story was for plenty of time. And as no one claimed ownership and there was no “official” storyline to follow, people on the internet started to add their own details, stories, and interpretations.
That was the beginning of the so-called Slenderverse, which was the name of the collective artistic movement of the fans of the Slender Man. Basically, these were the people who created stories, videos, characters, and theories around Slender Man. Soon, you could even follow the story of Slender Man in YouTube series such as Marble Hornets, EverymanHYBRID, and TribeTwelve. Each of these shows added unique details to their own version of the horror character, and by 2011, Slender Man was already more like internet folklore or even legend rather than just one fictional character.
2012-2013: Slender Man Becomes a Video Game
Not surprisingly, the popularity of the horror character grew, and soon it even made it to the video game audience. In particular, in 2012, a video game called “Slender: The Eight Pages” was released. This was a free horror game that placed players in a dark forest and asked them to collect eight pages before Slender Man would catch and kill them. As you can see, the game was pretty simple, but similar to creepypasta stories, that simplicity made it ideal for horror enthusiasts. Consequently, the game spread much faster than anyone could have expected, and in 2013, fans even got the sequel, “Slender: The Arrival.”
2014-2018: Documentaries and Hollywood
While the video game was more or less expected, no one could have imagined that the creepypasta character would eventually end up in Hollywood. However, in 2014, Slender Man became a part of a darker real-life story. In fact, that year, two 12-year-old girls in Wisconsin stabbed a classmate and later said that their actions were connected to Slender Man. This case was a true shock for the public, and as a result, HBO created a documentary called “Beware the Slenderman.”
In 2018, Slender Man also moved to mainstream cinema, and Hollywood welcomed “Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story” in 2015. Later in 2018, it was followed by another horror movie called “Slender Man.”
2019-Today: From Viral Monster to Internet Legend
One thing is for sure: Slender Man never really had a single moment where he faded out. You may think that after the 2018 movie, the character gradually stopped dominating internet horror. While it may not be as big of a hit as before (which is understandable), he never really disappeared.
Even today, creepypasta communities always keep the legends around Slender Man alive. You can find various channels on YouTube that still try to explain this character, and even TikTok has kept it circulating through fan edits.
One of the latest “breakthroughs” in the timeline of Slender Man is that in 2023, “Slender: The Arrival” was updated with rebuilt visuals, which was indeed a huge surprise for fans. And today, more than 15 years after two edited photos and a few captions, Slender Man still shows up in conversations about internet horror.
Copyright Statement: Unless explicitly stated, all stories published on Creepypasta.com are the property of (and under copyright to) their respective authors, and may not be narrated or performed under any circumstance.