Tom Cruise came within moments of meeting a horrifying and untimely end at the hands of a British serial killer who targeted gay men, the National Enquirer reports.

According to the paper, "a top British law enforcement source" claims that serial killer Colin Ireland targeted Cruise, and even enacted a plan to kill him, back in 1993.

Ireland, dubbed the "Gay Slayer," was eventually sent to prison for life for strangling five gay men he brought home from the same London bar over the course of four months. Identifying as heterosexual, Ireland said he targeted gay men because they were easy prey.

The Enquirer reports:

Detectives at Scotland Yard opened a hush-hush case file on Cruise after Ireland was convicted of the murders and jailed for life, the informant told The Enquirer.

In written statements, Ireland claimed he’d seen Cruise – then 31 and happily married to actress Nicole Kidman – at the bar in 1993 and approached him with the intention of killing him, said the source.

But the Hollywood heartthrob left the bar suddenly and was able to escape his clutches, according to Ireland.

Ireland, who died in prison in 2012, reportedly began his killing spree after making a New Year's resolution to become a serial killer. Geez, maybe he could have just promised to join a gym like the rest of us?