In the growing wave of internet-born horror stories making the leap to theaters, another iconic figure is preparing for its close-up. Tongal and filmmaker Savanah Moss have announced plans to develop a feature film based on Jeff the Killer, one of the most recognizable characters from the early days of creepypasta.
The project arrives at a moment when digital folklore is proving its commercial power. Following the massive success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, studios and creators are looking more closely at stories that first spread through message boards, image macros, and late-night internet rabbit holes. Jeff the Killer, with his pale face, carved smile, and chilling catchphrase “go to sleep,” has long ranked among the most enduring of those legends.
From Online Legend to Feature Film
Jeff the Killer first appeared online in 2008. The core story describes a thirteen-year-old boy who suffers a traumatic attack by bullies, leaves him severely burned, and spirals into madness. In the years that followed, countless variations, fan art, and retellings turned the character into a full-fledged internet icon. What began as a short horror tale evolved into a shared cultural reference, complete with its own visual language and mythos.
Savanah Moss, the digital creator known for her distinctive “fever dream” style of storytelling and her short film Funny Bunny, brings both personal history and a large online audience to the project. With more than eleven million followers on TikTok, Moss has built a reputation for blending unsettling imagery with sharp narrative instincts. She has previously referenced Jeff in her own videos and now steps into the role of producer, helping shape the creative direction of the film.
“I grew up reading Jeff the Killer and all of the creepypasta horror stories, so there’s definitely a nostalgic connection for me,” Moss explained. “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. 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.”
A Collaborative Approach
Tongal, the creator-focused studio behind projects such as the Pharrell Williams biopic Piece by Piece, is treating the Jeff the Killer film as its first original feature-length horror title. True to the company’s model, the development process actively invites outside voices. On Tongal’s website, writers and filmmakers can currently submit concepts exploring Jeff’s motivation, overall vibe, and signature killing technique. The goal is to harness the same collective creativity that originally built the character’s legend.
Producers Mark Korshak and Michael McKay, whose credits include Peppermint and The Age of Adaline, are also attached. Tongal co-founder and CEO James DeJulio has expressed long-standing interest in the creepypasta world and sees Jeff as an ideal fit for community-driven development. “Jeff the Killer ‘jumpscare’ has to be in the hall of fame of internet folklore,” he noted. The ambiguity surrounding the original image and the “is it real” questions that have always trailed the story make it especially well-suited to collaborative storytelling.
Why This Moment Matters
The timing feels deliberate. Recent box-office results have shown that audiences are hungry for horror rooted in online culture. Creators who once built followings through short-form video are now applying those same instincts to longer formats, and the traditional line between “content creator” and “filmmaker” continues to blur. Moss herself has observed that creators have spent years learning how stories connect with people; the difference now is simply the scale of the canvas.
Whether the finished film leans into psychological dread, visceral set pieces, or a careful balance of both remains to be seen. What is already clear is the intention: to honor the chaotic, crowd-sourced origins of Jeff the Killer while delivering a version that feels newly dangerous on the big screen.
Additional details about the cast, production timeline, and further open calls will be shared in the coming months. For now, the invitation is open. Fans and filmmakers alike can visit Tongal’s site and offer their own vision of what makes Jeff the Killer tick—and kill. In an era when the internet’s darkest stories keep finding new life, this particular nightmare is only just beginning its next chapter.
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