One of the coolest aspects of collective online storytelling is how the mythology behind our favorite internet-based monsters and Creepypastas is constantly evolving.
Even the fan-appointed mascot of internet horror himself has changed a lot over the years, with the iconic Slender Man first showing up as a tentacled humanoid that kidnaps children in a Something Awful Photoshop competition from 2009 before being reimagined as a tree-like entity that stalks filmmakers.
Here is the original photo that started the viral legend…
Originally created by forum user Victor Surge (AKA Eric Knudsen), the monster’s initial appearance wasn’t quite as alien as his current faceless and hairless design. In fact, Surge later claimed that the blurred face and tentacles were his only major contributions to Slendy’s visuals, as the rest of the creature came from stock images of regular men in suits and – most notably – photographs of the late, great Angus Scrimm as Phantasm’s iconic Tall Man.
Unfortunately, these images appeared to have been lost to time, with online fans often referring to the origins of Slender Man as “Lost Media” – until now!
Last week, X user and horror afficionado Madman Marzipan finally managed to track down the original Tall Man picture used to create that initial Photobash, with the photo actually coming from a promotional shoot of a NECA-produced action figure from their Cult Classics line.
Not only does this find confirm that horror master Don Coscarelli was partially (and unwittingly) responsible for one of the internet’s greatest horror stories, but it also makes Angus Scrimm’s cameo in the Slender Man-focused film Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story even more meaningful.
The Slender Man and the Tall Man, one could argue, are the very same entity!
Of course, the scariest implication here is that Slender Man originally had hair, which is one feature I think we can all agree to leave in the past.
