A trailer has been released for HBO’s upcoming documentary, Beware the Slenderman.
The documentary focuses on the cult internet meme Slenderman that caused a moral panic in 2014 when two teenagers in Wisconsin who tried to murder their friend cited the character as an inspiration for their actions.
Director Irene Taylor Brodsky tells Buzzfeed of the documentary: “The narrative does not revolve around guilt or innocence, but instead the court’s deliberation whether the girls should be tried as adults or children. Above all, it is the anguish and astonishing honesty of the girls’ parents that anchors the film’s narrative to its tragic core.”
Beware the Slenderman will air on HBO in January 23, 2017. It premieres at Doc NYC festival this Saturday (November 12). Watch the trailer below.
Read More: What Is Slenderman? The Viral Bogeyman Behind HBO’s True Crime Documentary Explained
Slenderman was created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen in 2009. The fictional supernatural figure of is depicted as an unnaturally tall and thin, suited man with a blank, featureless face. He has inspired many works of fan fiction online. Stories regularly feature the character abducting and harming children. Following news of the Wisconsin crime, Knudsen told the media: “I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act.”