Sony Pictures, out now

‘Those who hear the three bells toll, accept his invitation…’ 

Based on the Creepypasta character of the same name – which has already been immortalised in a few movies, with Star Trek: Discovery’s Doug Jones playing the titular role – this is the most recent attempt to put a fresh spin on the whole ‘Slender Man’ mythology. The question is, does it succeed?

High school friends Wren (The Conjuring’s Joey King), Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles from The Affair), Chloe (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Jaz Sinclair) and Katie (Annalise Basso from Oculus) hear that their male counterparts are going to try to summon the Slender Man. Looking into the subject online, they decide they can’t let the boys have all the fun and promptly watch a video claiming that it will call to him.

A creature who takes some kids, sends others crazy and generally causes mayhem, it proceeds to do exactly that. The girls attempt another ritual, but it only makes things worse, while one by one their numbers are dwindling. Can they placate the Slender Man before it’s too late?

It’s hard to put your finger on what exactly’s wrong with this movie. The acting by the young leads is fine – in Telles’ and King’s case, who sell this whole thing a lot better than it deserves, significantly more than fine. The effects are good, including a turn in costume by the incredibly thin Javier Botet this time as the monster. And while the narrative itself will definitely remind you of The Ring – with added ham-fisted stabs at saying something about the fear of growing up – there’s enough genuinely disturbing imagery to satisfy most horror fans. Indeed, it grossed over $50 million at the box office and will no doubt do just as well here.

But there are moments during the short running time when you’ll find your mind wandering, due to the lack of suspense, or you’ll be trying to place the movie a certain scare was lifted from, possibly used to greater effect. And the attempts to explain its historical origins – the Pied Piper being just one touchstone – feel muddled, unnecessary and shoehorned in. Of course, the real problem is that no matter what any of these fictional accounts do, they’ll never be as scary as the real life case that led to the murder of Payton Leutner back in 2014, lured into the woods and stabbed 19 times by her friends who were obsessed with the character.

There are also slim pickings on the extras front, with just a 10 minute ‘behind the scenes’ featurette where cast and crew are interviewed.

Verdict: ‘Once you see him, you can’t unsee him!’ 6/10

Paul Kane