Slender Man Movie Will Not Be Shown In Waukesha, Milwaukee

WAUKESHA, WI — A spokesperson for Marcus Theaters in said that the upcoming movie "Slender Man" will not be shown in Marcus Theaters in both Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.

Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudson in 2009 as a mysterious specter photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He's typically depicted as a slim, spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face that preys on children. He has grown into a popular boogeyman and has appeared in video games and online stories.

"Like many people across the United States, Marcus Theatres was deeply concerned and saddened when the Slender Man phenomenon touched Southeastern Wisconsin in such a profound way, changing the lives of many families forever," according to a statment that was received by WISN 12. "After careful consideration, and out of respect for those who were impacted, we have decided not to play the upcoming Slender Man movie in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. We will show the film at select other Marcus Theatres locations."

Girls Plotted Slender Man Murder

According to police, Morgan E. Geyser and Anissa E. Weier both plotted for months to kill Payton Leutner in 2014, luring her to a weekend birthday-party sleepover and then a wooded park where one they stabbed her repeatedly, according to authorities.

One child held Leutner to the ground while the other plunged the knife into her chest, arms and legs a total of 19 times, according to police. After the incident, Leutner, also 12, was barely alive when she crawled to a nearby road in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where a passing bicyclist found her the next morning.

Leutner underwent surgery at Waukesha Memorial Hospital before she made a faster-than-expected recovery and was back in school a few months later.

More Coverage

Morgan Geyser Sentenced to 40 Years In Slender Man Case

'Every Parent's Nightmare' Petition Aims To Stop Slender Man Film

Fascinated With Slender Man

The girls were particularly fascinated with the story of Slenderman, a killer of children. According to police, the girls planned to kill their friend so they could be "proxies of Slenderman."

Sacrificing their friend ensured them special positions as "proxies" for Slender Man, a killer of children, police said, and the girls planned the attack for months. They planned to walk hundreds of miles north in the forest to meet Slender Man — a tall, thin, blank-faced figure in a black suit alternatively viewed as a force of evil or an avenging angel.

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