10 Horror Movie Villains Who Never Lived Up To Their Potential

After becoming an internet sensation, a film based on Slender Man was pretty much guaranteed. Tragically, the movie adaptation of the iconic creepypasta was a dumpster-fire, due to its weak plot, trite dialogue, bland characters, and plodding pace.

Of course, the biggest problem was the eponymous character himself. Slender Man's creepiness has always stemmed from his unknowability. Little is canonical about the faceless humanoid, including his origins, motivations, or where he got that nifty suit. In creepypasta images and stories, Slender Man rarely does anything directly harmful, allowing horror fans to speculate endlessly on his true nature. Although he looks deeply unsettling, the vagueness surrounding his tales is what has turned Slender Man into a modern legend.

Unfortunately, the movie adaptation does away with all subtlety, turning the titular creature into a generic boogeyman. Rather than building up Slender Man slowly, his appearances are stuffed with ineffective jump-scares, shaky-cam, and distracting CGI.

And when he transmogrifies into a colossal spider-beast in the climax, viewers will wonder why the filmmakers were eager to make a Slender Man adaption in the first place, since they clearly don't understand the character.