3. Slender Man (Slender)
If were talking iconic characters, even though hes only been around for a few years, Slender has amassed a cultlike following for his advanced cat-and-mouse game of forest exploration twinned with leg-it-the-opposite-way-ery. Slender taps into that primal instinct we all have to often make shapes out of nothing when alone in the dark, or when visiting a location so steeped in filmic folklore you cant help but conjure up some idea of whats lurking in the abyss. With one of the most relatable feelings when exploring any new area being the notion of being watched, Slender has become a huge hit, being that in the mythology he is said to observe his victims for days at a time, building up to the perfect moment to strike. In gameplay terms your innocent exploration may come across a figure in the distance resembling Slender, or you could whiz around and catch his elongated fingers about to grab you from the side. The beauty in the depiction of the character is that either by accident or intention, looking at him causes the screen to fuzz-up and distort whilst youre bombarded by some extremely disturbing sound effects, aimed to dissuade you from keeping the stalking demon in your line of sight. Not necessarily for everyone, the gameplay in the most recent Slender Man: The Eight Pages again involves exploring a deserted forest whilst piecing together a small collection of notes that appear to give weight to the Slender mythos. Although the character and subsequent folklore was originally birthed from an online horror competition in 2009, last years iteration saw a much bigger-budget Slender Man become more accessible to a wider audience.