The Momo Challenge is being turned into a movie
11 July 2019, 16:33
The Momo Challenge hoax that went viral in 2019 is being turned into a new horror film.
2019's biggest viral hoax is becoming a film, Deadline confirms. Momo, the moral panic labelled as a 'self harm challenge' aimed at kids, gained infamy in February 2019. The Momo Challenge was quickly exposed as a hoax, however, when it became clear that there was very little evidence people were actually taking part in any of the activities described in various reports.
Now, Deadline reports that Orion Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment will team up with producer Taka Ichise (The Grudge, Flight 7500) to turn Momo into a horror film.
The woman with bulging eyes and scraggly hair might have freaked you out at first, but the terrifying image was originally featured as a sculpture in a Japanese gallery exhibition in 2016. The artist behind it, Keisuke Aiso, says he has since destroyed the sculpture, which features a woman with bird-like claws and breasts.
Meanwhile, it's unclear if Aiso will have any part in the upcoming film.
We've seen these viral urban legends get the movie treatment in past years. The tale of Slender Man which began as an internet creepypasta was turned into a film last year.
Slender Man starred Joey King, Jaz Sinclar, and Alex Fitzalan and was near-universally panned by critics.
SLENDER MAN - Official Trailer 2 (HD)
Who knows, though. A Momo movie might actually be terrifying as a horror film.
The Momo Challenge was said to be spread through apps like WhatsApp and allegedly encouraged youngsters to take part in dangerous self harm activities.
It was tenuously linked with headlines in South America before the panic spread in the UK and United States. Kim Kardashian even posted about the Momo Challenge, warning parents to be on high alert.
Eventually it became difficult to definitively connect the Momo Challenge to any actual deaths and it was deemed a hoax.
For now, there is no word on what the Momo movie will actually be about.
