Slenderman began as a 2009 creepypasta creation on the Something Awful forums before becoming the faceless antagonist of the viral game Slender: The Eight Pages in 2012. Slender: The Arrival, released in 2013, expanded that idea with a fuller story, new levels and more aggressive encounters, where static distortion signals his approach. Clips of its jumpscare stings were ripped and shared on soundboards and in horror edits, and creators still reuse them because the noise is instantly linked to Slender and to internet horror culture.