What is Slender Man, who is Eric ‘Victor Surge’ Knudsen and is it based on a true story?

A FICTIONAL horror character created in a Photoshop contest grew into an internet sensation the world over.

The Slender Man has become a part of video games, film and also influenced an attempted murder.

What is Slender Man?

The Slender Man is a child-catching suited creature with gangly arms and legs.

Eric ‘Victor Surge’ Knudsen submitted an image of the fictional character to an online forum called Something Awful.

Knudsen's intention was to "formulate something whose motivations can barely be comprehended, and [which caused] unease and terror in a general population".

His creation soon went viral as fan-art and reams of online fiction soon followed.

Who is Eric 'Victor Surge' Knudsen?

Eric 'Victor Surge' Knudsen is the original creator of the Slender Man.

Although he sparked the cult following which grew from Slender Man's creation, Knudsen says he does not spend much time on the internet.

He is now in his mid-30s and lives with his wife and child in Florida.

He said he was inspired by Stephen King's short stories, HP Lovecraft and William S Burroughs to create Slender Man.

He said: "I don't spend a lot of active time on the internet since I usually have a lot of real-life stuff going on."

Apart from the initial inception of the creepy figure, he has not actually been behind much of the fiction and artwork inspired by it.

What is the Slender Man stabbing case?

Two girls in Wisconsin, US were inspired to kill a classmate because they believed Slender Man was real.

Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, both now 17, held down and stabbed their classmate Payton Leutner, in 2014.

She had been lured to the woods near her home in Wisconsin, US, stabbed 19 times and left for dead.

Weier and Geyser told police they wanted to prove their loyalty to Slender Man and become his followers.

Knudsen said of the stabbing: "I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act."

Payton survived the attack and managed to crawl out of the woods where she was found by a cyclist with stab wounds to her chest, abdomen and arms.

Weier and Gyser were caught walking into the woods after the attack, in the hope of meeting The Slender Man.

In December 2017, Weier was sentenced to be committed to a psychiatric hospital for 25 years.

In February 2018, Geyser was sentenced to spend 40 years in a mental health unit.