A24's 'Backrooms' Brings the Viral Creepypasta to Theaters, Cementing 20-Year-Old Kane Parsons as a New Horror Auteur
At just 20 years old, filmmaker Kane Parsons translates his viral YouTube series into a feature film that critics are calling an icily disturbing and wildly unique horror experience, premiering May 29.
From 4chan to the big screen
The journey of Backrooms from an anonymous internet post to a major A24 feature film is a defining story for a new generation of horror. The concept originated in May 2019 with a single image and a short story posted on the online forum 4chan, describing a liminal space of sickly yellow walls and beige carpet that one might 'noclip' into, breaking beyond the boundaries of reality. Users across the internet then slowly began to expand on this world, creating a sprawling digital folklore.
Filmmaker Kane Parsons is widely credited as the Homer of the Backrooms. He did not invent the concept, but his phenomenally popular YouTube series, which began in 2022 when he was just 16, helped collate and codify the extensive online lore. The first installment has amassed nearly 80 million views, catching the attention of the indie powerhouse A24, which hired Parsons to direct a feature adaptation.
They've just been really strong creative partners who have understood what was working about the original idea for people, like what brought them in Backrooms, and then where my specific interpretation of it lies as a distinct version of that idea.
A story of infinite, terrifying space
The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a failed architect and depressed alcoholic who manages a vast, dreary furniture store called Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire. After a split with his wife, he is reduced to sleeping in the store's display beds. His life takes a bizarre turn when he discovers a supernaturally porous wall in the basement, leading to an impossibly large, never-ending series of interconnected rooms. This is the Backrooms, a space filled with strange installations, half-melted furniture, and an oppressive, dead yellowish light.
Renate Reinsve co-stars as Mary, Clark's therapist, a gentle but haunted woman who markets her own self-help tapes and is troubled by memories of an abusive mother. When Clark goes missing inside the Backrooms, Mary ventures in to find him, revealing a selflessness she didn't know she possessed. Mark Duplass also appears in a small, mysterious role that critics have been careful not to spoil.
When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age.
A masterclass in atmosphere over plot
Critics are nearly unanimous in their praise for the film's atmosphere, even as many note that the story itself is 'fairly simple' or even sparse. The opening sequence, shot in grainy, shaky found-footage style, is being hailed as an instant classic of anxiety-inducing horror. The camera whips around rapidly, creating a nightmare for anyone with motion sickness as a person tries to outrun a mysterious creature. After this tense opener, the film settles into a slow burn, introducing its central characters and allowing the audience to marinate in the terrifying, fascinating environment.
- An anonymous 4chan post introduces the concept of 'the Backrooms' with an image of a vacated furniture store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
- A then-16-year-old Kane Parsons releases the first installment of his Backrooms YouTube series, which eventually garners nearly 80 million views.
- A24 hires Kane Parsons to direct a feature film adaptation of his viral web series.
- Critics' reviews drop ahead of the film's theatrical release, praising its atmosphere and Parsons' direction.
- Backrooms premieres in theaters.
The production design by Danny Vermette is a standout element, combining genuine constructions with digital fabrication to create an ineffably oppressive, crepuscular world. The setting becomes a payoff in itself, with each new room presenting a fresh, creepy mystery that keeps the audience on edge. The film has drawn comparisons to J-horror, the V/H/S franchise, Severance, and The Rehearsal.
Defending a young auteur
As the film's release approached, online speculation emerged suggesting that the 20-year-old Parsons 'absolutely didn't direct this movie.' Star Mark Duplass forcefully shut down the rumor on social media, stating he did not remember seeing the accuser on set and vouching for Parsons' complete control over the production. This defense underscores the unusual nature of the project: a major studio handing a significant budget to a director barely out of his teens, based on the strength of his self-made YouTube series.
Parsons himself has spoken about the seamless collaboration with A24, noting that there were 'really not many barriers to creative control.' He believes the key to a successful adaptation is understanding the 'actual DNA' of the source material that made it popular, rather than dumbing down the lore for a wider audience. The film's ending leaves many questions unanswered, a choice that may frustrate some viewers but will leave most determined to see what comes next.
The goal isn't to feed into that simplicity in a negative way.
