Someday, when the world finally ends (very soon, maybe), the final line of humanity’s record will read: “It turns out the real horror was the internet all along.” But the internet, which has taketh far more than it has ever giveth, can only be blamed for so much. People are responsible for spreading the dumber and/or shittier aspects of the internet far and wide, making things like, say, the Momo hoax, go viral. So viral, in fact, that the stupid meme has now inspired no less than two (2) horror movies currently in development. Multiple Momo movies. Too many Momos, even. Momo mania. Deadline reports that a new, untitled Momo movie is in the works from It producer Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment banner, along with producer Taka Ichise and Orion Pictures. This Momo movie is not to be confused with the other Momo movie, Getaway, which was announced back in May.
Unlike Getaway, Orion’s Momo movie might explore the folklore that inspired the actual Momo sculpture, created by Japanese artist Keisuke Aisawa. The sculpture, which debuted at a Tokyo gallery in 2016, is called “Mother Bird,” and is inspired by the legend of Ubume, “a venomous, child-snatching bird of Japanese folklore.” Naturally, it was appropriated by dummies on the internet who came up with a fake urban legend about a game called “Momo’s Challenge,” which convinces children to commit acts of self-harm, including suicide. It was all just a dumb digital urban legend, akin to CreepyPasta, until Kim Kardashian (one of the four horsemen of the internet apocalypse) shared a photo of the sculpture with her followers, wildly misinforming them that dangerous messages from Momo are hidden in YouTube videos watched by children. There are enough actual, horrifying things going on with kid content on YouTube without people making shit up, Kim.