The true crime-as-entertainment phenomenon doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast. In the wake of the huge successes of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s The Jinx, HBO Documentary Films is premiering Beware the Slenderman at SXSW on March 11.
The documentary, directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky, explores the Internet meme behind the horrific stabbing of a 12-year old girl in Wisconsin. The perpetrators, also 12-year-old girls, said the murder attempt was done to appease the Slender Man character, created by the Something Awful internet forum.
The girls said they believed Slender Man was real and would hurt their families if they did not sacrifice their classmate, and also wanted to gain his favor. So, yeah, we can understand why HBO and Brodsky would mine this insane story for a documentary. (The stabbing victim recovered!)
IndieWire premiered the poster on Monday. No HBO air date has yet been set, but we’ll be watching. Under the covers.
h/t UPROXX