Slender Man

Based on a viral 2009 internet meme that gave plenty of people the creeps, this lazy horror movie is filled with stale, worn-out scares, crude effects and jump scares, and poor storytelling. Despite the opportunity to feature a genuinely scary central figure, Slender Man feels like a hundred other horror movies -- basically anything that involves people's curiosity getting them into trouble. Its other problem is that it was deliberately edited to earn a PG-13 rating, so it doesn't really have any scares beyond the usual loud percussion noise whenever the monster appears.

Director Sylvain White films everything in dimly lit rooms, especially a library and a hospital; maybe he was trying to use the smeary grayness to cover up the movie's shoddy digital effects. The rhythms are off, too, with every attempt at a spooky reveal occurring either too fast or too slow. The one thing Slender Man does right is that it actually conveys a sense of loss among the characters. They actually care about one another, and they're deeply affected by the disappearances and other troubles. King, specifically, is a spunky, feisty standout; she's the only one who seems to feel real fear, and she gives a little extra in her performance.