The Esoteric
USA 2014
produced by Daniel James, Patrick Mallette (executive) for Tragic Hero Productions
directed by Daniel James
starring Mike Sarcinelli, Daniel James, Patrick Mallette, Tara Rosado, Anthony Leaming, Aidan Call, James Ciminelli
screenplay by Daniel James, Slender Man created by Victor Surge, music by Daniel James, Slender Man-costume and mask by Matthew A. Lemay, Jane Riley
short Slender Man
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Back when he was a kid, Frank (Anthony Leaming) went on a serialkiller
hunt with his brother Timmy (Aidan Call) - and the latter got killed by
their prey, the Slender Man (Daniel James), so far thought to be an urban
legend. Of course, one cannot fully blame Frank, he was just a kid and had
no idea that killing the Slender Man with a slingshot wouldn't lead to the
desired result. Plus, he had totally underestimated the powers of the
Slender Man, who's less of a run-of-the-mill serialkiller and more of a
supernatural, malevolent entity. Now Frank's all grown up (and played by
Mike Sarcinelli), and he has never come over the guilt - but has been
looking for a(n actually appropriate) way to kill the Slender Man ever
since Timmy's death. And what he has come up with is ... to blow his
brains out right in front of the Slender Man. But if he thinks this is
where the story wrong he's (excuse the pun) dead wrong ... A
fan film based on the internet phenomenon Slender Man, this
movie starts out almost disappointingly routine and really takes its time
to get to its full potential ... and frankly, a bit too long. While the
ending is indeed multi-layered and if not wholly original then at least
surprising, the set-up wastes just too much of the film's short running
time getting there. And add to that a central character that's not all
that interesting, and one just fails to be totally immersed. Now this is
not an "awful" film by a longshot, just a bit of a wasted
opportunity.
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