One of the Internet's scariest figures will soon take a quick jump that medium over to TV, and I'm not talking about [Insert Person's Name That Makes For Hilarious Joke]. No, I'm referring to Slenderman, the faceless and certainly not victimless monster that turned the word "creepypasta" into a household term, though probably not in all households. The overly effective modern horror icon will be at the center of the upcoming true crime documentary Beware the Slenderman from HBO Films, and we now finally have a date when everyone will be able to check it out: January 23.
HBO put out the announcement that Beware the Slenderman will docu-burrow its way into viewers' brains on January 23, 2017, but there's no need to fear that you're required to be at home in front of your televisions at that exact point. The project, which wowed audiences when screened at last year's South By Southwest, will also bow on HBO On Demand subsequently, and you'll be able to find it streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now as it airs on TV proper. If you're very unlucky, it will start airing on all of those platforms at once in the middle of the night.
Beware the Slenderman, aside from introducing the ghastly entity to unsuspecting audiences, will focus on the real-life Wisconsin crimes and trial of two then-preteen females who, in 2014, allegedly coaxed a fellow female classmate out into the woods and left her for dead after stabbing her 19 times. The victim was eventually found and hospitalized, and the accused classmates were soon arrested, where it was revealed that the girls had committed the violent act because they thought it would impress Slenderman, who is known in the lore for bringing harm to children. And who is also the subject of some video games, indie flicks and an upcoming Sony feature.
Check out the spooky trailer for the documentary below.
You might have noticed that January 23 is a Monday night, which just feels like trolling on HBO's part. We're used to watching the cable network's original programming on Sunday nights as a way to end the weekend, but this nightmare of a story is going to enter our lives after a full Monday, and I don't mean to sound like Garfield here, but that just sounds like adding insult to injury. Now Tuesday will feel like Monday again. A very pale Monday, in a jet black suit, with long, long legs and arms.
To reiterate, tune into HBO on Sunday, January 23, for what could be the freakiest thing you'll see this month, as Beware the Slenderman will make its TV premiere. (Or, you know, watch it at some point after that, in the daytime.) Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else the small screen has to offer in the future.
