Jeff the Killer production draws criticism over creative submission campaign

Creator-led studio Tongal is teaming up with filmmaker and TikTok creator Savanah Moss to produce a feature film adaptation of the internet Creepypasta character “Jeff the Killer,” and they want your help. But beware, you may want to read to the end before rushing over to this creative collaboration.

“Jeff the Killer” was created in 2008 when Newgrounds user Sesseur, or Jeff Case, wrote a story based on an image that had already been making the rounds online since at least 2005. The image itself is of a heavily photoshopped, pale face that features no nose, black eyes, and an unnaturally wide grin. However, the most well-known version of “Jeff the Killer” originates from a re-write made in 2011. The re-write was posted by Creepypasta Wiki user GameFuelTV, written by his brother Travis. 

Travis’ story is about a 13 year old named Jeffrey Woods, who moves to a new neighborhood with his younger brother Liu and their parents. The two kids get into a fight with the local bullies, leading to Jeff getting attacked with bleach and alcohol before being set on fire. This permanently scars Jeff, both mentally and physically. He makes long, deep cuts that extend from the sides of his mouth in the shape of a smile, and he slices off his eyelids, giving himself a permanently “happy” disposition. He then kills his family and turns into a serial killer.

Many internet users would criticize the story’s writing as being too edgy or over the top. Whether it was because of this writing or in spite of it, the story and image associated with “Jeff the Killer” would spread like wildfire, becoming infamous online. The character would go on to have additional stories and re-writes created by other internet users, countless fanart, and even a few adaptations in the form of video games or short-films.

Now, Tongal and Moss are taking a stab at adapting the character. Moss is best known for her “Fever Dream” videos, where she blends humor and horror to create short comedy sketches that operate on dream logic. She also wrote, co-directed, and starred in the short film “Funny Bunny” (2025), which garnered criticism online for its use of AI-generated imagery.

“I grew up reading ‘Jeff the Killer’ and all of the creepypasta horror stories, so there’s definitely a nostalgic connection for me,” Moss tells TheWrap in an exclusive report. “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.”

She continues, “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.” Producing alongside Moss is Mark Korshak and Michael McKay, who both previously worked on Peppermint (2018) and The Age of Adaline (2015).

Tongal is a network of independent talent and creator-led studios that is responsible for projects such as Pharrell Williams’ Piece by Piece (2024). The company supports a more open and decentralized creative process, pairing established entertainment talent with the platform’s global network of 160,000+ independent filmmakers during the earliest stages of development. 

“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,” says co-founder and CEO of Tongal, James DeJulio, about the adaptation. “Then, when Michael and Mark brought ‘Jeff the Killer,’ it was an easy decision. 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.” Tongal’s “Jeff the Killer” adaptation will not only be the studio’s first original feature-length horror film, but also the first of several creative partner collaborations that they have planned.

This announcement comes after the unexpected success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms and Curry Barker’s Obsession over the past few months. Backrooms has become A24’s highest grossing film, making more than $395 million worldwide. Obsession earned $488 million, and now Barker is set to direct both an original horror film for Universal as well as a reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24. The record-making profits of these films has led to numerous internet horror movie deals, including “Siren Head,” “The Mandela Catalogue,” a V/H/S movie based on “SCP,” “Cartoon Cat,” and now “Jeff the Killer.”

“Creators have spent years learning how to tell stories, build audiences and figure out what actually connects with people—just in a different format,” comments Moss about this recent trend. “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,” adds DeJulio. “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. The last thing I can think of that can hold a candle to these is The Blair Witch Project (1999)—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.”

Moss and Tongal are collaborating to create opportunities for her community and emerging filmmakers to participate throughout the movie’s development process. The film’s first community development project has already gone live on Tongal’s website, where creatives are being asked to submit their character concept pitches for Jeff the Killer. 

However, people have been quick to point out the potential dangers of this opportunity. According to the rules on Tongal’s website, they have complete ownership over any and all submitted ideas (whether they are used or not), people are not allowed to share their submitted ideas with anyone else, and people who submit their ideas give Tongal consent to use them however they please. Tongal has also allowed—and even promoted—the use of generative-AI in their other community creative projects. 

Given the language of Tongal’s rules, as well as the history that both the studio and Moss have with generative-AI, internet users such as @aidenreanimated on Instagram warn that submitted pitches could end up being used to create AI generated content for the film. It doesn’t help that the minimum age requirement for submissions is 13, raising suspicions that Tongal might attempt to take advantage of younger creatives who are less equipped to advocate for themselves. Neither Tongal nor Moss have commented on these concerns at the time of writing this.

Additional details about Tongal’s “Jeff the Killer” feature film, its creative team, and future opportunities for creatives will be announced in the coming months.