Is the trend of horror movies based on beloved cartoon characters who have crossed over into the Public Domain about to die a natural death?

It may be too soon to tell now, but jeff Miller, the producer of just such a movie, Popeye the Slayer Man, is apparently moving on to something a little more original, if a lot more horrifying.

Deadline reported Wednesday that Miller was launching a series of films in what he’s calling the “twisted serial killer universe,” and gave the first two titles.

The first, Jeffrey Dollmer, has already wrapped. Mark Savage directed the film from a script by John Doolan (Popeye the Slayer Man, Remains). The film is about “models on a photo shoot stalked by a doll possessed by the spirit of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.”

Appearing in the movie are Charlie Trepany, Chey Crieger, Juliana Destefano, Adam Huss, Eva Hamilton, Mariah Justice, Scott Asmar, Jabarri Bush, Jane Xi, Tom Parnell, Sean Michael Conway, and Brian Joseph Mange. The movie also features a cameo from Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick.

The second film Miller is producing is called Ted Bunny, about which much less is known. Plot details are being withheld, though it’s safe to bet a rabbit will kill a lot of humans in it. However, Bunny will have significantly more star power than Dollmer, as genre icon Dee Wallace will appear, along with Diana Roman, Zanna Wyant, and Brad Satterwhite. Michael Fredianelli will direct from a script he wrote with Maralynn Adams.

Of Jeffrey Dollmer, Miller said in a statement that “Mark Savage and the team and I have had a blast bringing this creepy doll to life. Audiences are in for a treat in this over-the-top killer doll film, which will be a great companion piece to Ted Bunny.”  

Jeffrey Dollmer is expected to launch in February at the European Film Market in Berlin, with Millman Productions handling sales. Ted Bunny is scheduled to be released in early 2026 as well, released by Terror Films.

The titles of other films in the series have yet to be released, so it’s anyone’s guess if the series will include villains like Jackrabbit the Ripper, John Train Gacy, Ed Beanie Baby, or Son of Ham. But the real question is whether making cutesy characters based on real-life mass murderers is going please the horror-loving public enough to ensure the series will continue.