Introduction: Low-cost / High-scare Slender Man

You're peacefully walking in the woods, enjoying the night breeze. You left your friends at the party, so nothing could disrupt your quiet lonely walk. The night is dark, but the moonlight can still allow you to find your way among the trees.

Suddenly, something lights up. And... HE'S HERE! THE SLENDER MAN! RUN!!

So. This is our first Instructables.

We made this sweet three-meter-tall Slender Man for a Halloween party. We plan to set it up in the woods with a proximity-sensor-equiped backlight.

This is quite a low-cost project, made out of simple parts you can find in any hardware store.

It was easy to build. You can of course add your own improvements to this basic prop.

/!\ We are French, so we used meters instead of inches and feet.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

Materials

  • 2-meter-long PVC pipes (x4)(we used 40mm pipes, use any diameter you want, just make sure it matches the joints you'll use)
  • joints (x11)(check the picture to see how many of each kind)
  • 6-meter-long PVC flexible air ducts (x2)
  • plaster bandages
  • white shirt
  • black fabric (we had 150cm*600cm and had just enough leftovers to sew the bag. Be sure to get enough fabric!)
  • black pants (or you can sew the entire pants if you are not lazy like us)
  • tape

Tools

  • heat gun
  • hand saw
  • cutter
  • a pair of scissors
  • sandpaper
  • sewing machine

Step 2: Structure

The structure is entirely made of PVC pipes and joints. Cheap, easy to cut, pretty robust.

We also wanted the Slender Man to be transportable. No parts will be longer than 1m so they can fit in a reasonable-sized bag.

First, you are going to cut the PVC pipes. Use the saw for this step. Than use the sandpaper to smooth the edges.


CUTTING

  • legs: 4*1m
  • arms : 2*30cm
  • torso: 2*90cm + 2*10cm
  • shoulders: 2*15cm
  • chest: 1*45cm
  • pelvis : 1*35cm
  • neck: 1*30cm

Then the bending part. You will have to bend 5 different pieces. Check the picture to see which ones.

We recommend you assemble the greatest part of the straight structure before doing the bending. It will be easier to make the pieces fit that way by bending them while still hot.


BENDING

/!\ Make sure you work in a ventilated area, as PVC produces toxic fumes when heated /!\

Basically, you just have to heat the tubes with the heat gun, as you spin them so they don't burn. They will bend easily and stay in place when cooled.

Torso: The parts have to be bent slightly, at approximately one third of the longest parts.

Pelvis: Bend a 90° angle at mid-length (note: you can also get rid of this step by using T joints and a straight tube for the pelvis; we found it nicer our way but it is clearly not necessary)

Legs: This part is only necessary if like us you want to stick your Slender Man in the ground to make it more robust. Heat the tip of the end-tube and flatten it with a smooth surface (we pressed it in between wooden planks). Then shape it with the saw.

Chest: Flatten the central part of the tube (like you did for the "feet"), wait for it to cool. Then heat again and slightly bend each side (approximately 45°) so they fit the torso.


Optional: we used a very small tube (we had leftovers from a previous project) to make the chest look fuller when the clothes are on. You just have to cut a small incision and fit it on the chest-tube (see detail in the picture).

Assemble everything.

Cut the PVC air ducts in half and tie the pieces to the shoulders and pelvis. This way the arms and legs will be thicker.


Your slender man is coming to life!

Step 3: Costume

You can cut the sleeves off the shirt, it will be easier to dress the structure and you won't see them anyway.

The tie is a simple piece of fabric sewn in the shape of a tube, and then ironed to flatten it.


Here comes the suit part.

SIMPLE WAY

If you want to avoid the complicated sewing part, buy some over-sized old suit at your local charity shop and add fabric to the end of the sleeves and at the bottom of the jacket.

We would have done that but we didn't find the perfect jacket... Here we go.

GOT-TIME-TO-WASTE WAY

Unless you have a 3m-tall friend, you'll have to sew a tailor-made suit for your slender man. The picture should explain most of the process.

The numbers are not very precise. You should take more accurate measurements once your structure is built up.

* I am a beginner when it comes to sewing. I apologize for the lack of precision here, but this part was mostly improvisation. The pattern should help you understand how the different parts are shaped though. *

Step 4: Head

Sadly we didn't take pictures of this step. That's not a problem as there is not one right method.

Use any material you like to shape a head around the neck tube. We used a wire structure stuffed with newspaper.

Then shape the angles. We used cardboard that we taped to the head. Don't be afraid to be imprecise, as everything will be masked at the end of this step. Shape the nose, chin, cheeks and the arch of the eyebrows with this technique.

When you find the shape acceptable, you can tape everything so it holds together.

Then cover the entire head and neck with plaster bandages.

Pre-cut 10/20 cm long strips. Dip them in water one by one and carefully apply them on the structure. Smooth them with your fingers so they'll blend together. You want to work one layer at a time, letting them dry for some time before applying more.

When you're done the head will have a homogeneous finish. You can spray it with white paint to make it more water-resistant.

Step 5: Assembly!

Everything is ready!

Some parts can stay together so you won't lose them. Don't hesitate to tape together everything that won't need to come apart.

Hope you enjoyed this. We will eventually add details after the prop is displayed at the party.

Don't hesitate to ask if some parts are too confusing.

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