The chapter discusses the character’s detrimental influence on the mental as well as physical health of his victims seemingly able to cause both insomnia and amnesia – either of which may appear as symptoms of extreme stress. He displays the ability to appear suddenly, or vanish, at will, effectively hunting in a fashion natural to humans – through persistence – only better. The character denies the possibility of identifying it, provoking a clash between our drive to know and our fear. It has been found that a significant aspect of Slender Man’s anxiety inducing potential is based on a deceptive similarity to humans, being vaguely human in shape, though the character is faceless, thus denying identification and interpretation of intentions and marking it as something that is definitely not human, although we cannot tell what it is. Chapter III details the creation and later development of Slender Man, focusing on three different narratives – the two edited paranormal images from which the character originated an interactive online video series, and a video game – that have been highly influential on the evolution and spread of the monster. The analyses and discussions of the case studies are based on a selection of narratives. Chapters III and IV consists of two separate case studies on Slender Man and the Bogeyman respectively. A greater focus has been placed on introducing and explaining the biological element of the theoretical contemplations, as this has been perceived to be the more controversial aspect of biocultural theory. Further, the chapter includes a discussion of monsters and the monstrous, and the interrelation of these with culture.
This includes a discussion of the dispute of inherent predator templates for threat identification contra early development of cognitive categories, an elaboration on emotional mechanisms and the implications of Horror and fear from a biological perspective. Chapter Two elaborates on the central theoretical considerations of the thesis. Thesis - Spring/Summer 2015 The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility of fundamental fears in human nature and society, with a focus on Anglo-American society and culture due to the influence on this culture on both the horror genre and the case monsters, Slender Man and the Bogeyman.
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