Slender Man's Producers Seek New Distribution Partner

The movie based on popular internet creepypasta Slender Man is set for a release date of August 24th, 2018, but that's not stopping the film's producers from shopping it to other studios so late in the game. According to Variety, Sony Pictures, the distributors of Slender Man, reportedly see the film "as a low-budget, Blumhouse-style release" while producers William Sherak and James Vanderbilt, among others, "have more confidence in the movie."

This has led to a clash where the producers are trying to find a new distribution partner that is willing to put more money into promotion and advertising, as well as expanding Slender Man's reach to more movie screens. Sony has already released a trailer, posters, pictures, and other promotional materials, so it's unlikely that another studio would step in now, since doing so might make Sony seek reimbursement for their marketing up to this point.

Another reason Slender Man may have difficulty finding a new partner is an incident dating back to 2014 in which a 12-year-old girl was stabbed 19 times by two of her supposed friends. Although the victim managed to survive, her attackers claimed they were inspired to do it by Slender Man himself, in order to get in his good graces. Both girls were sentenced to psychiatric facilities for their crime.

The incident, now referred to as the "Slender Man stabbing," has been a topic of debate ever since, especially in regard to the impact of the internet on children and society as a whole. As the release date for Slender Man approaches, this subject has come up more and more. After the first official trailer dropped back in January, the father of one of the attackers, Bill Weier, spoke out about his dislike of the film.

It's absurd they want to make a movie like this. It's popularizing a tragedy is what it's doing. I'm not surprised, but in my opinion it's extremely distasteful. All we're doing is extending the pain all three of these families have gone through.

What are your thoughts on the issues plaguing Slender Man? Should the film receive a bigger advertising budget, and what are your thoughts on the film pertaining to the stabbing incident? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

About the Author

L.B. Lubomski

Lawrence "L.B." Lubomski is an avid horror movie fan, gamer, musician, historian, and aspiring author. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, L.B. was exposed to the works of local filmmaker and godfather of zombie cinema George A. Romero early on. He has since developed a particular fondness for Italian zombie/cannibal and slasher films. This passion for horror extends into other media, from survival horror video games such as Resident Evil to horror-inspired musical artists. In his spare time, L.B. pursues many interests including building his collection of vinyl records, action figures, and vintage video games as well as drumming in various local bands.

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