10 Movies Changes Influenced By The Fans' Feedback
8. Toning Down The Violence - Slender Man
The feedback that caused alterations for this film hit a little closer to home than usual, with the main critic being an outraged father of a child involved in a hideous crime. The brutal stabbings of a 12 year old girl linked to the Slender Man 'legend' left a dark stain on the character. This meant any future products addressing the character was always going to be controversial.
While members of the press and the general public voiced their concerns, it was the criticism levelled by the father of one of the perpetrators of the stabbing that really made an impact. Bill Weir, whose daughter Anissa was sentenced for 25 years to life in various institutions for her involvement in the stabbing crime, described the film as 'distasteful' and campaigned for local theatres not to show the film.
The filmmakers' reaction to these comments was to tone down the violence and gore initially planned. The plans for an R rated product incorporating more horror traits and gore were toned right down, so much so that the final product came in with a PG-13 rating.
The film was critically panned but managed to make a small profit, the PG-13 rating no doubt helping with the box office returns. It's hard to make a final judgment as to how Sony Pictures would judge the effectiveness of the changes, but at least they were made in the interests of good taste.