Arts+CultureNewsCheck out the disturbing trailer for the Slenderman docThis new film explores the chilling story of two 12-year-olds who attempted to murder their friend to appease the paranormal memeShareLink copied ✔️November 11, 2016Arts+CultureNewsTextAnna Cafolla The creepy meme that inspired two-12-year-old girls to attempt to kill their classmate has been made into a documentary: Beware the Slenderman. In 2014, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser lured their 11-year-old schoolmate Payton Leutner out to the woods and stabbed her. She miraculously survived the attack that saw her stabbed 19 times, as she crawled to a nearby bike path and was discovered by a cyclist. Geyser was diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia, but after legal battles, July 2016 saw the Wisconsin Appeals Court ruled that the now 14-year-old girls would be trialled as adults, a trial that’s still playing out for first-degree attempted homicide. The girls discovered Slenderman – who they called ‘Slendy’ – on creepypasta.wikia.com, an online archive for horror stories. One of the girls claimed Slenderman – a tall, faceless ghoul – was watching her, and that they planned the murder because otherwise “he would kill our family”. The pair believed they could run away to his mansion in the forest after they’d completed the act. Beware the Slenderman uses footage from interviews by investigators with Weier and Geyser, people close to the girls and experts that unpack the power of fictional internet creatures. The director of the documentary, Taylor Brodsky, told Buzzfeed: “The narrative does not revolve around guilt or innocence, but instead the court's deliberation whether the girls should be tried as adults or children. Above all, it is the anguish and astonishing honesty of the girls' parents that anchors the film's narrative to its tragic core.” Originally created by Eric Knudsen for a Photoshop contest, the meme is also reportedly getting its own horror film, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which was announced back in May. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREWhy did Satan start to possess girls on screen in the 70s?Learn the art of photo storytelling and zine making at Dazed+LabsZimmermannKindred spirits and psychedelic florals: Zimmermann heads to 70s Sydney 8 essential skate videos from the 90s and beyond with Glue SkateboardsThe unashamedly queer, feminist, and intersectional play you need to seeParis artists are pissed off with this ‘gift’ from Jeff KoonsA Seat at the TableVinca Petersen: Future FantasySnarkitecture’s guide on how to collide art and architectureBanksy has unveiled a new anti-weapon artworkVincent Gallo: mad, bad, and dangerous to knowGet lost in these frank stories of love and loss