Haden GriggsFollow

Date Collected

Fall 11-15-2017

Place item was collected

West Jordan, UT

Informant

Corbyn Foskett

Point of Discovery/Informant Bio

Corbyn is the third of six children in the Foskett family. Like the rest of him, I’ve known him my whole life, though he changed a lot while I was out serving an LDS mission. He’s twenty years old, a part time student and works at a local fast food restaurant. He is big into internet culture and video games, along with anime. He is probably the least outgoing of all the Foskett siblings, and usually keeps to himself, especially avoiding big group gatherings or strangers if he can help it. I’m close enough to his family and we’re good enough friends that we can talk comfortably.

Context

I had spoken with, Karen, Corbyn’s Mom, about coming to West Jordan to collect some Slenderman Folklore from her kids and their friends, so she had informed them all and arranged me to meet with them after school and work. Corbyn got home after I had already interviewed his sister, Sophie, and her friend. I asked if I could interview, and he didn’t seem to think he had much to offer, but he agreed, though we went downstairs so I could interview him privately, rather than trying to do it with all the hustle and bustle that had picked up upstairs. I initially tried to interview him about the lore around Slenderman, but he only really knew the video game, so we moved on to his experience, which I had already heard from his mom and two of his siblings, Jason and Sophie.

Text

So, the way I remember it, which-- [I ask when this happened] Uh, this had to have been when I was in ninth grade, so, [inaudible] four or five years ago? Yeah, so basically I was just, staying at home, handing out candy on Halloween, and, when my friend stopped by, with his, I think, he had his younger brother there at the same time. And so, I went, and, to hand him candy, and then I turned around for something and I turned back, and there was someone else that I hadn’t seen on the doorstep, dressed as Slenderman. Which had been hiding and waiting until I had turned around. And so they just, popped out of nowhere and it really gave me a scare. [I ask if it was because of the surprise or because he was dressed as Slenderman, and laugh] Uh, it’s hard to say, I don’t know if I [I laugh, he chuckles] would have been as afraid if they were just dre--wearing a typical outfit. Some other Halloween thing, but it definitely did shock me. [I ask what makes Slenderman scary in this instance, or in general] Slenderman? Hmm. I think the thing that makes Slenderman, himself scary, is just, the mystery behind him, and the fact that, he just has unusual features.

Texture

Corbyn told this story more willingly than I had initially expected, and was very honest about the fact that he had been spooked. When I heard the story secondhand from his mother, she said he claimed that he just been surprised and startled. He told it fairly quickly, though he had a slow voice, and his voice dropped to almost inaudible when he admitted he it had given him quite the scare.

Course

Introduction to Folklore: English 2210

Instructor

Dr. McNeill

Semester and year

Summer 2017

Theme

G7: Revenants

EAD Number

2.1.5.85

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