Slender Man stabbing
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On May 31, 2014, in
Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...
,
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, Anissa E. Weier (born November 10, 2001) and Morgan E. Geyser (born May 16, 2002), lured their friend Payton Leutner into a wooded area of a local park and stabbed her 19 times to appease the fictional supernatural character
Slender Man The Slender Man (also called Slenderman, Slender, or Slendy) is a fictional supernatural character (arts), character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") ...
and prove that he was real. Leutner survived the attack after being found by a cyclist, later stating the attack inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. During their interrogations, Geyser was described as displaying no empathy and Weier was described as displaying guilt for stabbing Leutner, although both stated that the attack was necessary. In 2017, Weier and Geyser were both found not guilty by mental disease or defect and committed to mental health institutions. Weier received a sentence of 25 years to
life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
and Geyser was sentenced to 40 years to life. Weier was released in 2021 to live with her father. Geyser is due to be released in 2025 to live in a group home and will be under supervision until 2058. The stabbing generated extensive public debate about the role of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
in society and its effect on children, and a
moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usually perpetuated by moral e ...
occurred over the Slender Man which irreversibly altered the Slender Man legend and the online community surrounding it. The stabbing inspired the documentary ''
Beware the Slenderman ''Beware the Slenderman'' (stylized as ''_beware the slenderman'') is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky about the Slender Man stabbing. It premiered at South by Southwest in March 2016 and was broadcast on HBO on ...
'', the movie '' Mercy Black'' and several books.


Background

Morgan Geyser and Payton Isabella Leutner (also known as Bella, a nickname used at the time of the crime) were childhood best friends from
Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...
. They would later befriend fellow Waukesha resident Anissa Weier, who would become particularly close to Geyser due to them living in the same apartment building and having a shared interest in creepypasta including the popular fictional supernatural character
Slender Man The Slender Man (also called Slenderman, Slender, or Slendy) is a fictional supernatural character (arts), character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") ...
, while Leutner found it horrifying. Interrogators were told that Geyser and Weier's obsession with Slender Man began as early as December 2013. As their interest in Slender Man grew, Geyser and Weier both believed he was real and would hurt them and their families if they did not offer him a sacrifice, and subsequently planned to kill Leutner to appease Slender Man and prove that he was real. Geyser and Weier had previously planned to kill Leutner by either murdering her while she was sleeping or by killing her in a bathroom, but didn't go through with either plan resulting in them coming up with the
hide-and-seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chosen playe ...
plan. Geyser, Weier and Leutner had been to a sleepover the night before the stabbing.


Events of the attack

On May 31, 2014, during a game of hide-and-seek in heavily wooded Davids Park near Waukesha, Wisconsin, Geyser and Weier pinned down Leutner and stabbed her nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a blade. Two wounds were to major organs. One stab wound missed a major artery by less than a millimeter and another went through her diaphragm, cutting into her liver and stomach. After the attack, Weier and Geyser told Leutner to lie down while they found help, which they did not do. Afterwards, Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist who called emergency services. Surgeons operated for six hours to repair critical trauma to arteries and tissue in her torso and abdomen. Dr. John Kelemen, who operated on Leutner that day, said that "If the knife had gone the width of a human hair further, she wouldn't have lived." Leutner left the hospital seven days after the attack. She returned to school in September 2014. Leutner developed lingering trauma from the attack, later revealing in 2019 that she sleeps with broken scissors in fear of being attacked again. Five hours after the attack, Weier and Geyser were apprehended by police near Steinhafel's Furniture Store on
Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
, approximately from the attack location. They were in possession of the knife used in the stabbing, which was found by police in a bag they carried. They said they were traveling to meet Slender Man at his home, called Slender Mansion, in the Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest, from where they were apprehended.


Police investigation and pre-trial psychiatric evaluations

During their interrogations, which were not conducted with a
guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
or
counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...
, Geyser was described as displaying no
empathy Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...
and Weier was described as displaying guilt for stabbing Leutner, although both stated that the attack was necessary to appease Slender Man. During the police investigation and pre-trial
psychiatric evaluation Psychological evaluation is a method to assess an individual's behavior, personality, cognitive abilities, and several other domains. A common reason for a psychological evaluation is to identify psychological factors that may be inhibiting ''a p ...
s, Geyser disclosed lifelong visual and auditory
hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
s beginning in early childhood. These hallucinations typically included figures she interpreted as ghosts, colors melting down walls, and imaginary friends named Maggie and Sev. One recurring hallucination was a man Geyser named "It,” whose body she described as the color of smoke and ink. She would perceive him as standing behind her in mirrors or shifting around corners. After Geyser's arrest, her mother, Angie Geyser, described her as becoming "floridly psychotic." Correctional officers reported Geyser frequently talking to herself, pretending to be a cat, and keeping ants as pets. She reported seeing
unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...
s and believed she was having ongoing conversations with Slender Man and other fictional characters, such as Severus Snape. Experts testified in court that she also said she conversed with
Lord Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. He first appears in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997) and returns either in pers ...
and one of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
. In the fall of 2014, Geyser was relocated to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute to determine if she was competent to stand trial. On October 22, 2014, Geyser was diagnosed with early-onset childhood schizophrenia. Geyser's treatment for
schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
was erratic and inadequate for 19 months, which is believed to have exacerbated her cyclic regressions into
psychosis In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or inco ...
and reduced her ability to recognize delusions against reality. In December 2015, Geyser began a consistent, long-term regimen of
antipsychotic Antipsychotics, previously known as neuroleptics and major tranquilizers, are a class of Psychiatric medication, psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), p ...
medication, which enabled her to understand what she had done and display appropriate feelings related to her crime, such as guilt and remorse. On March 23, 2016, Geyser was returned to the county jail to await trial. Although she was appropriately medicated, Geyser's mental health deteriorated. Her deterioration was linked to
stressor A stressor is a chemical or biological agent, environmental condition, external stimulus or an event seen as causing stress to an organism. Psychologically speaking, a stressor can be events or environments that individuals might consider dema ...
s on her already fragile mental health that are typical to forced confinement and incarceration. During trial, Geyser was committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where she was the youngest patient.


Court case and negotiations


Charges and convictions

Geyser was charged with attempted first-degree homicide, a Class A felony, and Weier was charged with attempted second-degree homicide, a Class B felony. Due to the nature of the offenses, both Weier and Geyser were waived out of
juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...
to be tried as adults. In 2017, Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree homicide. A jury then found her "not guilty by mental disease or defect." Geyser accepted a plea offer that stipulated she would not undergo a trial if she pleaded guilty and agreed to further evaluation by psychiatrists to determine appropriate duration of commitment to a forensic psychiatric hospital. She later pleaded guilty as arranged by the plea offer, but was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect due to a final diagnosis of schizophrenia by court-appointed psychiatrists. Weier was sentenced to 25 years to
life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
, an indeterminate sentence requiring at least three years confinement and involuntary treatment in a state forensic psychiatric institute, followed by communal supervision until age 37. Geyser was given the maximum sentence, 40 years to life, an indeterminate sentence requiring at least three years confinement in addition to involuntary treatment in a state forensic psychiatric institute until complete resolution of symptoms or until age 53, whichever will happen first.


Releases

At a hearing on March 10, 2021, Weier, who was then 19 years old, submitted a letter to the court stating that she was "sorry and deeply regretful for the agony, pain, and fear I have caused," not just to Leutner, but to "my community as well." Weier stated that, "I hate my actions from May 31, 2014, but through countless hours of therapy, I no longer hate myself for them." On July 1, 2021, Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren ordered Weier released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, gave state officials 60 days to draft a conditional release plan, and required that Weier be assigned Wisconsin Department of Health Services case managers to supervise her progress until she is 37 years old, the length of her commitment. In September 2021, after Weier's release, it was reported that Leutner no longer lived in Waukesha County and was attending an undisclosed college as a sophomore student. In 2020, an appeals court rejected Geyser's petition to be retried as a juvenile. Her attorney, Matthew Pinix, argued that she should have been charged with attempted second-degree intentional homicide rather than first-degree, and argued that Geyser gave statements to investigators before being read her ''Miranda'' rights. He petitioned the Supreme Court of Wisconsin to review the ruling. In early 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal. On September 13, 2021, Weier was released with multiple
stipulation In United States law, a stipulation is a formal legal acknowledgment and agreement made between opposing parties before a pending hearing or trial. For example, both parties might stipulate to certain facts and so not have to argue them in court. A ...
s, including 24-hour GPS monitoring that required her to request permission before leaving Waukesha County. Leutner's family were "reasonably comfortable" with the rules Weier must follow after her release, which include no contact with Leutner until 2039 and GPS ankle monitoring, but wished she had served a longer sentence. On September 11, 2023, the GPS stipulation was removed. Weier's Internet use is restricted and monitored. As part of her supervised release, she is not allowed to use any form of social media. Weier is required to take court mandated psychiatric medication and is escorted to regular counseling sessions by a case worker. She is required to live with her father while under supervision of the court. In January 2024, Geyser petitioned the court for release, two years after withdrawing a petition in 2022 two months after filing. A judge denied this request for release at a hearing in April 2024. In January 2025, a court approved Geyser's appeal for release after experts noted considerable progress in battling mental illness. Geyser was also reported in this month to have started identifying as a transgender male, beginning a transition that includes male pronouns. Court officials continued to refer to Geyser using female pronouns throughout the proceedings and in documentation, and most major media outlets, either unaware or deliberately, have done the same in their recent reporting. In February 2025, Geyser's hearing for a possible plan to be released had been canceled because of new allegations that Geyser had "violent" communication with a man outside the facility and read a book in the facility with "themes of sexual sadism and murder." Geyser's lawyer denied that Geyser did anything inappropriate. The three doctors who evaluated Geyser later testified that Geyser is well enough to be released and said the new allegations do not change their opinion. A new hearing in which a proposal for plans on Geyser's release had been laid out as being set for March 24, 2025. This date has been pushed back to April 28, 2025. When released, Geyser will live in a group home and be under supervision until 2058, remain under communal supervision and undergo periodic reevaluations intended to identify need for reinstitution and/or further treatment.


Aftermath


Response from the Creepypasta community

After the attack, the Creepypasta Wiki, which houses the bulk of Slender Man lore, was blocked throughout the Waukesha School District. On June 5, 2014, Slender Man creator Eric Knudsen released a statement of condolence: "I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act." Sloshedtrain, a former administrator of the Creepypasta Wiki, stated that the stabbing was an isolated incident that did not accurately represent the creepypasta community. He also argued that the Creepypasta Wiki is a literary website and that its community of creators and administrators do not condone
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
or satanic rituals. A statement was also released on the Creepypasta website which stated the attack wasn't the fault of Slender Man or horror writing in general, as "placing blame solely on an interest in reading/writing about horror, paranormal, myths, urban legends, etc. for a tragedy would be off the mark". Members of the creepypasta community held a 24-hour live stream on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
June 13–14, 2014, to raise money for Leutner (whose name had not then been released). Joe Jozwowski, an administrator on a creepypasta website, said the purpose of the stream was to show that members of the community care for the victim and do not condone real-world violence.


Other responses

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Scott Walker issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, August 13, 2014, "Purple Hearts for Healing Day", and encouraged the people of Wisconsin to wear purple to honor the victim of the stabbing. He also praised the "strength and determination" exhibited by the victim during her recovery. On August 29, 2014, the city of
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
, held a one-day
bratwurst ''Bratwurst'' () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German , from , finely chopped meat, and , sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the ver ...
festival to honor Leutner.
Hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
s and bratwurst were sold to raise money towards her medical costs. The event was run by over 250 volunteers and raised over $70,000.


Leutner's response

On October 24, 2019, Leutner, then 17 years old, spoke publicly about her experience for the first time to ABC's ''20/20''. She discussed her scars, saying, "I don't think much of them. They will probably go away and fade eventually." She described how she met Geyser in fourth grade and became her friend because Geyser was alone a lot and Leutner wanted her to feel less alone. She also reported how Weier, who Geyser introduced to Leutner, had seemed jealous of the friendship between her and Geyser. When asked what she would say if she ever saw Geyser again, Leutner replied she would "thank" her because the attack inspired Leutner to pursue a career in medicine. Leutner revealed she was doing well and that her hope was to "put everything behind me and live my life normally."


Debate on the effect of the Internet on children

The stabbing generated extensive public debate about the role of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
in society and its effect on children. Waukesha Police Chief Russell P. Jack argued that the stabbing "should be a wake-up call for all parents" because although the Internet "is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain, it can also be full of dark and wicked things." John Egelhof, a retired agent of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, argued that the Internet has become a "black hole" that risks exposing children to a more sinister world. Egelhof suggested that parents should monitor their children's Internet use and educate them on the differences between right and wrong. Shira Chess, an assistant professor of mass media arts at the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
, described creepypasta as no more dangerous than stories about
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s or
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
s. She argued that creepypasta websites are beneficial as creative communities that provide feedback and help participants become better writers.


Moral panic and other incidents

The stabbing spawned a nationwide moral panic over Slender Man across the United States. The stabbing and the negative media attention it generated irreversibly altered the Slender Man legend and the online community surrounding it. What had previously just been a creepy horror meme to most people suddenly acquired a new level of reality that most fans of Slender Man found horrifying. Parents nationwide became worried about the potential dangers that stories about Slender Man might pose to their children's safety. Russell Jack, the police chief of Waukesha, warned that the Slender Man stabbing "should be a wake-up call for all parents" that "the internet is full of dark and wicked things." Many media outlets publicized Jack's warning. After hearing the story, an unidentified woman from
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, told a WLWT TV reporter in June 2014 that her 13-year-old daughter had attacked her with a knife, and had written macabre fiction, some involving the Slender Man, who the mother said motivated the attack. On September 4, 2014, a 14-year-old girl in Port Richey,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, allegedly set her family's house on fire while her mother and nine-year-old brother were inside. Police reported that the teenager had been reading online stories about Slender Man, as well as
Atsushi Ōkubo is a Japanese manga artist known for his work on the manga series ''Soul Eater'' and ''Fire Force'', both of which have been adapted into anime television series. Ohkubo worked as an assistant under Rando Ayamine, on the manga series ''GetBacker ...
's manga ''
Soul Eater is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. Set at the "Death Weapon Meister Academy", the series revolves around three teams, each consisting of a weapon meister and at least one human that can transform into a w ...
''. Eddie Daniels of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said the girl "had visited the website that contains a lot of the Slender Man information and stories ..It would be safe to say there is a connection to that." During an early 2015 epidemic of suicide attempts by young people ages 12 to 24 on the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a small portion extending into Nebraska. Originally included within the territory of the ...
, Slender Man was cited as an influence; the Oglala Sioux tribe president noted that many Native Americans traditionally believe in a "suicide spirit" similar to the Slender Man. Other Sioux describe the " Big Man" as a messenger or sign, warning that society is developing in a dangerous direction.


Other impact

The late 2010s saw an increase in benevolent portrayals of Slender Man, with many depictions of him from this period portraying him as an
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
who protects victimized children from bullies, although often by violent means. Lynn McNeill, assistant professor of folklore at Utah State University, observes that the increase in benevolent portrayals of Slender Man seems to have begun shortly after the stabbing in Waukesha and states that this trend towards a benevolent Slender Man may be a reaction by fans of the character to the violence of the stabbing. The 2018 ''
Slender Man The Slender Man (also called Slenderman, Slender, or Slendy) is a fictional supernatural character (arts), character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") ...
'' film generated considerable controversy soon after it was announced, with many accusing the filmmakers of trying to capitalize off the stabbing. Bill Weier, the father of Anissa Weier, protested the film's production and release as "extremely distasteful" and advised local theaters to not screen the film, and stated, "It's absurd they want to make a movie like this... All we're doing is extending the pain all three of these families have gone through." The progressive advocacy group
Care2 Care2 is a social network services, social networking website that was founded by Randy Paynter in 1998. The goal of the site is to connect activists from around the world with other individuals, organizations and responsible businesses. Overview ...
created an online petition, which received over 19,000 signatures, demanding that the film not be released, labelling the film "crass commercialism at its worst" and "a naked cash grab built on the exploitation of a deeply traumatic event and the people who lived it." Sony representatives insisted that the film was based on the fictional character that had become popular online and not on the stabbing. Marcus Theatres did not show the film at their locations in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin due to the impact of the stabbing in the area. After the film was released,
Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...
reported that Screen Gems had required the producers to meet a PG-13
MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, the mini-major Amazon MGM Studios, as well as the video streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. F ...
rating and that several scenes had been cut over fears of public backlash (including several scenes that had appeared in trailers), resulting in narrative and continuity issues in the final film.


In popular culture

A documentary film on the incident called ''
Beware the Slenderman ''Beware the Slenderman'' (stylized as ''_beware the slenderman'') is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky about the Slender Man stabbing. It premiered at South by Southwest in March 2016 and was broadcast on HBO on ...
'' was released by
HBO Films HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non-f ...
in March 2016, and was broadcast on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
on January 23, 2017. The film received mixed reviews. A season 16 episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', titled " Glasgowman's Wrath,” is loosely based on the event. The ''
Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...
'' episode "The Tall Man" (Episode 14.05, airdate October 31, 2018) was also inspired by this story. A season 7 episode of '' The Rookie'' titled "Chaos Agent" also features a subplot based on the event. On October 14, 2018, a movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing, called ''Terror in the Woods'', aired on Lifetime. The film stars Ella West Jerrier, Sophia Grace McCarthy, Skylar Morgan Jones, Angela Kinsey, Drew Powell, and Carrie Hood.
Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. Ricci works mostly in Independent film, independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box-office hits. She is ...
serves as the executive producer of the film. On March 31, 2019, another movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing titled '' Mercy Black'', starring Daniella Pineda, was released on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. Directed by Owen Egerton and produced by Blumhouse Productions, it tells the story of two girls with pre-schizophrenia who attempt to murder their friend, believing that a spirit named Mercy Black will offer them a gift in return. Later, the protagonist is released from psychiatric care and must confront the real and paranormal consequences of her actions. On September 1, 2022, author Kathleen Hale released a book about the incident called ''Slenderman: A Tragic Story of Online Obsession and Mental Illness.'' While she was writing the book, Hale had eighteen hours of in-person conversations with Geyser and twelve hours of interviews with Geyser's mother. The book received positive reviews. The 2024 novel ''In A Dark Mirror'' by Kat Davis is heavily based on the case, with only minor details changed.


See also

* Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart *
Folie à deux ''Folie à deux'' (), also called shared psychosis Berrios, G. E., and I. S. Marková. 2015. "Shared Pathologies. Pp. 3–15 in ''Troublesome disguises: Managing challenging Disorders in Psychiatry'' (2nd ed.), edited by D. Bhugra and G. Malhi. ...
* Killing of Satomi Mitarai * Murder of Maryann Measles * Murder of Michele Avila * Murder of Shanda Sharer * Murder of Skylar Neese * Parker–Hulme murder case * Murder of Christine Silawan, allegedly inspired by the Momo challenge


References


Further reading

* * {{Slender Man 2014 controversies in the United States 2017 controversies in the United States 2021 controversies in the United States 2025 controversies in the United States 2014 in Wisconsin 2017 in Wisconsin 2021 in Wisconsin 2025 in Wisconsin Attempted murder Crimes in Wisconsin Crimes involving Satanism or the occult Female criminal duos Incidents of violence against girls LGBTQ-related controversies in the United States Mass media-related controversies in the United States May 2014 crimes in the United States July 2014 crimes in the United States September 2014 crimes in the United States May 2014 in the United States June 2014 in the United States July 2014 in the United States September 2014 in the United States December 2017 in the United States September 2021 in the United States March 2025 in the United States Moral panic Slender Man Stabbing attacks in 2014 Violence against children in the United States Waukesha, Wisconsin