Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
01-03-18, 08:46 AM
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Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
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“Slender Man” stars Jaz Sinclair and Joey King as a group of girls who set out to find their missing friend when she’s taken by the one and only “Slender Man.” The horror film is directed by “Stomp the Yard” and “I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer” filmmaker Sylvain White.
Screen Gems will open “Slender Man” in theaters May 18.
Screen Gems will open “Slender Man” in theaters May 18.
05-31-18, 02:43 PM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
It is extremely rare for a film to be shopped to other studios so close to its scheduled release. Sony has already debuted a trailer for the film, and unveiled posters, and promotional images. Presumably whoever buys the film would have to pay the studio back for any expenses it incurred.
Sony’s Steve Bersch, the head of the Screen Gems division overseeing “Slender Man,” is a fan of the picture and wants to release it, according to another insider, but the studio’s brass is concerned about social media backlash. The title character, a viral boogeyman created in 2009 as part of an online contest, allegedly inspired two 12-year-olds to stab their friend Payton Leutner 19 times. Leutner survived, and the girls were institutionalized.
Bill Weier, the father of one of the two girls who stabbed Leutner, has criticized the film as “extremely distasteful” and has said it is “popularizing a tragedy.” Some movie theaters close to where the stabbing took place in Wisconsin have said they will not show the film. An online petition calling on the studio to pull the film from release has attracted more than 19,000 signatures.
There are concerns at Sony that the blowback will intensify as the release date approaches even though “Slender Man’s” plot is fictional and doesn’t reference the real-life stabbing. That may be factoring into some of the release strategy disagreements, insiders say.
If the producers cannot find another studio, Sony may move forward with its Aug. 24 release date. “Slender Man” is directed by Sylvain White and stars Joey King, Jaz Sinclair, and Julia Goldani Telles.
Sony’s Steve Bersch, the head of the Screen Gems division overseeing “Slender Man,” is a fan of the picture and wants to release it, according to another insider, but the studio’s brass is concerned about social media backlash. The title character, a viral boogeyman created in 2009 as part of an online contest, allegedly inspired two 12-year-olds to stab their friend Payton Leutner 19 times. Leutner survived, and the girls were institutionalized.
Bill Weier, the father of one of the two girls who stabbed Leutner, has criticized the film as “extremely distasteful” and has said it is “popularizing a tragedy.” Some movie theaters close to where the stabbing took place in Wisconsin have said they will not show the film. An online petition calling on the studio to pull the film from release has attracted more than 19,000 signatures.
There are concerns at Sony that the blowback will intensify as the release date approaches even though “Slender Man’s” plot is fictional and doesn’t reference the real-life stabbing. That may be factoring into some of the release strategy disagreements, insiders say.
If the producers cannot find another studio, Sony may move forward with its Aug. 24 release date. “Slender Man” is directed by Sylvain White and stars Joey King, Jaz Sinclair, and Julia Goldani Telles.
06-03-18, 12:08 AM
#5
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I don’t want to see a horror movie that uses a fictional character that real kids claimed they thought was real and told them to try to murder another kid.
06-03-18, 12:20 AM
#6
re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I remember when American Psycho was being filmed, there was a bit of a ruckus here, because a copy of the book had been found by Paul Bernardo's bedside and the media made a big deal of that (even though it's more probable the book belonged to big-reader (and likely the real murderer) Karla Holmolka). Way back then, my thinking was just because the book was enjoyed by/perhaps inspired one monstrous person, didn't mean it was tainted and shouldn't be made into a movie.
Not saying your reaction is wrong, though. We all have different lines that cross us. For example, I'll never be able to bring myself to watch the John Landis Twilight Zone, and I hate seeing him being interviewed in stuff.
06-03-18, 12:21 AM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
Just the title alone is enough to draw me off.
06-03-18, 12:36 PM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
Bill Weier, the father of one of the two girls who stabbed Leutner, has criticized the film as “extremely distasteful” and has said it is “popularizing a tragedy.”
I’m betting he was a big Titanic fan though ...
06-03-18, 09:54 PM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
06-04-18, 04:50 PM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I remember when American Psycho was being filmed, there was a bit of a ruckus here, because a copy of the book had been found by Paul Bernardo's bedside and the media made a big deal of that (even though it's more probable the book belonged to big-reader (and likely the real murderer) Karla Holmolka).
06-05-18, 09:42 AM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
06-05-18, 11:36 AM
#13
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
Now if the movie was actually playing off the real life events in the film's story with a theme where he influences people to kill on his behalf, or if they started directly referencing those real life events to promote the film, then I would agree that is in bad taste. But so far it sounds like the Slenderman in this film is your typical supernatural boogeyman type villain.
Of course, I still expect this to be terrible because I've seen some of the director's past work, namely 'I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer' (a direct-to-video crapfest that somehow manages to make you long for 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer').
06-06-18, 10:08 AM
#15
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I wonder if a lot of it depends on a person's own association with the character. For me, when I first saw the thread title I had forgotten about that stabbing story from 4 years ago... I mentally connected the character to the online content, games, and so on. For someone whose awareness of the character mainly relates to that crime, though, I could see how their own association changes.
Perhaps that was the driving force, or maybe not. Again, this was a pretty popular meme and character for years before the stabbing. There were Slender Man references in shows like Supernatural many years ago, and there was already a 2015 film (Always_Watching: A Marble Hornets Story) that is essentially an unofficial Slender Man movie... This is a project that was started in 2013 before the crime occurred, so it's not like Hollywood interest in the concept started with the murder attempt. For certain, the case drove up overall *awareness* of the property, but -- based on your comment and others -- that awareness may end up more damaging than exploitable for the filmmakers.
Perhaps that was the driving force, or maybe not. Again, this was a pretty popular meme and character for years before the stabbing. There were Slender Man references in shows like Supernatural many years ago, and there was already a 2015 film (Always_Watching: A Marble Hornets Story) that is essentially an unofficial Slender Man movie... This is a project that was started in 2013 before the crime occurred, so it's not like Hollywood interest in the concept started with the murder attempt. For certain, the case drove up overall *awareness* of the property, but -- based on your comment and others -- that awareness may end up more damaging than exploitable for the filmmakers.
07-26-18, 05:17 PM
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re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
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07-26-18, 05:24 PM
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I remember when American Psycho was being filmed, there was a bit of a ruckus here, because a copy of the book had been found by Paul Bernardo's bedside and the media made a big deal of that (even though it's more probable the book belonged to big-reader (and likely the real murderer) Karla Holmolka). Way back then, my thinking was just because the book was enjoyed by/perhaps inspired one monstrous person, didn't mean it was tainted and shouldn't be made into a movie.
07-28-18, 01:28 AM
#18
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
So I don't get slenderman the myth. Isn't it well known that it was made up on the internet? It doesn't have any basis on any real life legends or anything like that right? Does anyone know where it originated from?
If it's only "real" claim to fame is inspiring some very disturbed kids to stab their friend then yes I think it's in poor taste. I guess at least the kid survived but I don't know why Sony is just now starting to think about the possible backlash from this film. Seems like it's something they should have considered before greenlighting it.
If it's only "real" claim to fame is inspiring some very disturbed kids to stab their friend then yes I think it's in poor taste. I guess at least the kid survived but I don't know why Sony is just now starting to think about the possible backlash from this film. Seems like it's something they should have considered before greenlighting it.
07-28-18, 05:08 AM
#19
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
Also, Wikipedia is your friend
07-28-18, 09:51 AM
#20
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
So I don't get slenderman the myth. Isn't it well known that it was made up on the internet? It doesn't have any basis on any real life legends or anything like that right? Does anyone know where it originated from?
If it's only "real" claim to fame is inspiring some very disturbed kids to stab their friend then yes I think it's in poor taste. I guess at least the kid survived but I don't know why Sony is just now starting to think about the possible backlash from this film. Seems like it's something they should have considered before greenlighting it.
If it's only "real" claim to fame is inspiring some very disturbed kids to stab their friend then yes I think it's in poor taste. I guess at least the kid survived but I don't know why Sony is just now starting to think about the possible backlash from this film. Seems like it's something they should have considered before greenlighting it.
07-28-18, 09:35 PM
#22
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
I know the basics. Just don't know why it turned into such a phenomenon or if there were any official stories made up about him. It's just odd that this has taken on a weird fascination when it's origins can be so easily traced to a clearly fictional contest, especially when there are many more other folklore stories that have a much more intriguing and mysterious origin.
08-09-18, 05:36 PM
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08-18-18, 01:15 PM
#25
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Re: Slender Man (2018) S: Joey King
Caught an early showing with my son. I expected it to be bad, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. It just felt horribly disjointed and chopped up. It meandered along and its 91 minute run time felt a lot longer. The only positive that I took away from it was that the cast was decent and deserved something better.
