Jeff the Killer Movie in Development From Savanah Moss and Tongal

Tongal, the creator-led studio, and filmmaker Savanah Moss (11.4 million TikTok followers) are partnering together to adapt a feature film based on Jeff the Killer, TheWrap has exclusively learned. Jeff the Killer started as an online creepypasta, continuing the trend of studios adapting online horror stories into movies in the wake of A24’s success with “Backrooms.”

Jeff the Killer was first introduced to the internet in 2008. Though the lore around him has shifted and evolved over the years, the character is a 13-year-old serial killer who started a killing spree after his face was disfigured by bullies. He’s most commonly represented by a picture of a heavily edited person with a white face, boring black eyes and exposed red gums.

It’s hard to think of a creator who would be better suited to adapt such a bizarre piece of internet lore than Moss. Best known for her “fever dream” videos, Moss’ work often blends comedy and horror, creating short sketches that thrive on the unexpected and utilize clever camerawork. She also wrote, co-directed and starred in the short film “Funny Bunny,” which was selected for the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, Marina del Rey Film Festival and Los Angeles Independent Filmmakers Showcase. As a producer on the project, Moss will help shape the creative direction for Jeff the Killer and will work with Tongal to create opportunities for her community and emerging filmmakers to participate throughout the movie’s development process. The first open project for the movie is now live, and creatives worldwide can visit Tongal’s site to pitch character concepts.

“I grew up reading Jeff the Killer and all of the creepypasta horror stories, so there’s definitely a nostalgic connection for me. I’ve even used Jeff in some of my ‘Fever Dream’ videos in the past, so it’s crazy to fast-forward to now and actually have the opportunity to help turn this character into a feature film,” Moss told TheWrap. “What I’ve always loved about Jeff is how much of the character was built by the internet. Jeff stuck with people and became an internet icon. Now, there are so many different versions of his story from people adding to it and reimagining it throughout the years. We have this unique opportunity to take the character everyone knows and loves and create a truly terrifying, grounded horror film, while still staying true to Jeff’s origin. I don’t just want to recreate the creepypasta — I want to make Jeff feel terrifyingly real.”

Moss will produce the upcoming Jeff the Killer film alongside Mark Korshak (“Incoming,” “Peppermint,” “The Age of Adaline”) and Michael McKay (“Peppermint,” “The Age of Adaline,” “In Our Blood”). The movie will be Tongal’s first original feature-length horror film as well as the studio’s latest expansion as part of its growing film slate.

Tongal is a network of independent talent and creator-led studios that has been behind projects like Pharrell Williams’ “Piece by Piece.” The company supports a more open, decentralized creative process, pairing established entertainment talent with the platform’s global network of more than 160,000 independent filmmakers during the earliest stages of development. The Jeff the Killer movie is the first of several planned collaborations with creator partners. In February, Tongal secured the film rights to the cult-classic video game Tecmo Bowl, and the studio has collaborated with Focus Features, the LEGO Group, Tremolo Productions and Pharrell Williams’ production company, I Am Other.

“I’ve been a huge fan of creepypasta for a long time and was exploring titles around 2017 with a network partner of ours, so it was on my radar. Then, when Michael and Mark brought Jeff the Killer, it was an easy decision,” James DeJulio, Tongal co-founder and CEO, told TheWrap. “First, Jeff the Killer ‘jumpscare’ has to be in the hall of fame of internet folklore. Second, the story and ambiguity around the original photo, and the ‘Is it real’ history, lent itself perfectly to working with both the fanbase and our filmmaking community to turn it into a feature.”

The success of Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” and Curry Barker’s “Obsession” have inspired Hollywood to invest in a new wave of horror movies from creators. “Backrooms” made over $395 million worldwide and has become the highest-grossing movie in A24 history. “Obsession” earned even more than than, scoring $488 million. Barker is now set to direct an original horror film for Universal as well as a reboot of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” for A24.

“Creators have spent years learning how to tell stories, build audiences and figure out what actually connects with people — just in a different format,” Moss said. “I believe the line between a ‘creator’ and a ‘filmmaker’ is starting to disappear. Now you’re seeing creators take everything they’ve learned and apply it on a much bigger scale.”

“This has been the biggest sea change in Hollywood since the original studio system broke up. It’s been pretty obvious that the studios have been out of touch with the fans and audiences for some time now. And when two scrappy young filmmakers prove that they can not only build an audience outside of the system, but they can also bring that audience into theaters, it’s a massive wake up call,” DeJulio said. “The last thing I can think of that can hold a candle to these is ‘The Blair Witch Project ‘— another scrappy horror title where the audience had a huge impact on how and where it was distributed. Jeff the Killer is going be a home run.”

Additional details about the Jeff the Killer feature film, its creative team and upcoming opportunities for creatives will be announced in the coming months.