Tongal, the community-powered studio behind projects for Netflix, Disney and Pharrell Williams’ Piece by Piece, today announced it has secured the rights to develop a feature film based on Jeff the Killer, one of the internet’s most recognizable horror characters from the creepypasta genre, an online trend of horror urban legends that went viral across the early internet. It follows Backrooms, which also grew from creepypasta into a viral YouTube series by filmmaker Kane Parsons and, most recently, an A24 feature film directed by Parsons.
Creator and filmmaker Savanah Moss, known for her surreal “fever dream” comedy and horror videos, is attached to produce the film alongside Tongal and veteran film executives Mark Korshak (Incoming, Peppermint and The Age of Adaline) and Michael McKay (Peppermint, The Age of Adaline and In Our Blood). Together, the team combines experience developing and producing studio features with Moss’ digital-native creative perspective and Tongal’s community-powered production model.
The project will mark Tongal’s first original feature-length horror film and the latest expansion of its growing film slate. Tongal and Moss will work with her fanbase of more than 15 million followers, as well as the studio’s global community of more than 160,000 filmmakers, to develop the property for new audiences while preserving the unsettling, internet-native qualities that have made Jeff the Killer an enduring part of online horror culture.
The project also marks Moss’ first foray into feature film production following the success of her short film Funny Bunny, which she wrote, co-directed and stars in. The six-minute film earned more than one million views following its release and 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 of Jeff the Killer, Moss will help shape the film’s creative direction and work with Tongal to create opportunities for members of her community and emerging filmmakers to participate throughout the development process via Tongal’s platform. The collaboration brings together Moss’ distinctive visual style, understanding of digital audiences and experience building original worlds with Tongal’s community-powered approach to developing and producing entertainment.
“Jeff the Killer was born from internet culture, so it feels right to develop the film alongside the creators and fans who understand why the character has remained part of the cultural zeitgeist,” said James DeJulio, CEO and Co-Founder of Tongal. “Tongal was built on the belief that great creative ideas can come from anywhere, and that by decentralizing the development process, the best ideas and talent can rise to the top without being limited by traditional Hollywood gatekeepers. Savanah has built an extraordinary connection with her audience and now we are taking it to the next level — involving them and our community of filmmakers from the start.”
Moss has developed a global following through highly stylized short-form videos that blend comedy, horror and surrealism into what she describes as “fever dreams.” Her involvement will give her creative community a meaningful role in exploring the film’s world, characters and visual language.
“Jeff the Killer has always been one of those internet horror characters that never really leaves your brain. I actually featured Jeff in a few of my Fever Dream videos years ago, so getting the chance to help bring him to the big screen feels surreal.” said Savanah Moss. “One of the coolest things about Jeff is that he’s never really belonged to one person. His story has evolved because thousands of people online have added their own ideas, theories, and interpretations over the years. That’s why I’m so excited to work with Tongal—not just to make a movie, but to invite other creatives and the community into the process. I want this to feel as imaginative and unexpected as the internet culture that made Jeff iconic in the first place.”
The announcement follows Tongal’s recent acquisition of the feature film rights to the cult-classic video game Tecmo Bowl, which is now in development. It also builds on the company’s collaboration with Focus Features, the LEGO Group, Tremolo Productions and Pharrell Williams’ production company, I Am Other, on the animated biographical film Piece by Piece, directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville.
Together, the projects reflect Tongal’s expansion into original film, television and digital properties developed through a more open, decentralized creative process. By pairing established entertainment talent with independent creators and inviting new voices into development from the earliest stages, Tongal is creating a model that allows the strongest ideas to rise while giving audiences a role in the filmmaking process. The project marks the first of several planned collaborations with creator partners as Tongal works to bridge the participatory culture of platforms like YouTube with the scale and infrastructure of Hollywood filmmaking.
The first open project, announced by Moss on her social media channels, is now live. Creatives worldwide can visit Tongal’s site at https://tongal.com/jeffthekiller to pitch their character concepts for Jeff the Killer.
Additional details about the Jeff the Killer feature film, its creative team and upcoming opportunities for creatives will be announced in the coming months.
