A film adaptation of the creepypasta character Jeff the Killer is in development, as Hollywood studios rush to capitalise on the runaway success of horror films based on viral internet stories. The project is being produced by TikTok filmmaker Savanah Moss, known for her surreal horror-comedy videos, in partnership with content platform Tongal, and reflects a wider industry trend of recruiting young, social-media-native creators to bring internet horror properties to the screen.

Jeff the Killer originated as a 2008 creepypasta about a disfigured 13-year-old who becomes a killer after being attacked by bullies, and is instantly recognisable from its pale, grinning face image. Moss, who has 11.4 million TikTok followers, said she wants to make the character "feel terrifyingly real" while honouring its internet origins, and is producing alongside Mark Korshak and Michael McKay. The move follows the huge box-office success of A24's Backrooms (almost $395 million from a $10 million budget) and Obsession ($488 million from a $900,000 budget), both made by young YouTube-honed directors, and comes as further internet-horror adaptations—including The Mandela Catalogue, Siren Head and Cartoon Cat—are also in the works.