10 Ripped Off Characters Movies Didn't Even Try To Hide

Less defensible than a lot of examples on this list, The Bye Bye Man’s case isn’t helped by his inane name and the fact that his film debut is an absolute waste of time. A typical January horror release, the film is almost impossible to follow, yet somehow also absurdly slow and thin on plotting.

It sees the titular ghoul, unseen for much of its runtime, stalking the dreams and minds of a small group of insufferable college students, and is apparently based on an obscure short story detailing the exploits of a supposedly real urban myth.

When the long-awaited Bye Bye Man (yes, they keep calling him that name, no it doesn’t get any less funny with repetition) finally arrives onscreen, his origins are pretty clear to anyone familiar with Internet culture. The Bye Bye Man’s bony, long-fingered, pale countenance is immediately recognizable as a carbon copy of Slenderman, a controversial creepypasta character.

This appeal to meme culture didn’t stop critics from savaging The Bye Bye Man upon its release, but don’t worry about poor Slendy—he soon got a film of his own only a year later, which was, you know, also promptly torn to shreds by critics.