Director Kane Parsons, who goes by the pseudonym Kane Pixels, was only – believe it or not – 16 years old when he created The Backrooms. Available completely free on YouTube, the distinctly lo-fi nine-minute horror short was shot in a found-footage style and has gained over 78 million views since its release four years ago. And what makes it creepy is its analog VHS aesthetics as we follow a cameraman, played by Parsons himself, trapped in an infinite maze of empty rooms. The short film is even captured from the cameraman’s point of view, meaning you will only see what he and his camcorder see, as if you are stuck in the maze with him. And for millions of viewers across the world, that’s frightening.
May marks the start of the summer movie season in the US, and we already have major studio releases and big-ticket tentpoles at movie theaters sweeping up the box office. But this month also gives us plenty of horror movies to look forward to: from Hokum to Obsession, Passenger, and of course, A24’s Backrooms, a full feature based on Parsons’ original YouTube series.
But before we go any further, if you were confused by the trailers, here is what you should know about the upcoming horror movie: Therapist Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve) discovers her patient, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), has gone missing. He disappears into a dimension beyond reality (a strange doorway opens in the basement of his pirate-themed furniture store), forcing the therapist to enter into the unknown to save him.
Already positioned as one of the most talked-about horror movies of the year, here are the reasons why you should check out Backrooms when it opens on May 29.
The Teaser Has No Jump Scares — And That’s Exactly Why It Works
First premiered in February this year, Parsons (now 20 years old) and his team did a great job of embracing the less-is-more approach in the first teaser trailer for Backrooms.
It begins with a high-pitched ringing noise and a shot of a dimly lit room before the camera descends floor by floor (accompanied by an eerily distorted electronic hum and voiceover narration).
The teaser, which runs for less than a minute, ends with a static shot of a yellow room, looking surreal and empty. There are no traditional jump scares, only a lingering sense of ominous dread that makes you feel really uneasy. It even makes you wonder about the space. Is there a ghost or a monster lurking somewhere in the shadows or beyond our plain sight? Who built the space, and more importantly, why does it look like it belongs in an alternate reality?
If you enjoyed Parsons’ YouTube series, Backrooms has probably already gotten you very excited.
The Backrooms Taps Into a Fear You Didn’t Know You Had
A lot of people are asking why Backrooms is considered a horror film, especially since it doesn’t sell the traditional jump scares and monsters. Well, imagine finding yourself trapped in a familiar space, like a shopping mall or a hotel corridor, only to discover that it triggers isolation and paranoia, where reality becomes entirely distorted. Horror movies that explore liminal spaces (from The Shining to Cube, Vivarium, and the most recent one, Exit 8) have successfully captured what it’s like to be stuck in a creeping state of spatial claustrophobia.
Backrooms is the latest horror that delves deeper into the liminal spaces, focusing on a seemingly endless maze of sickeningly yellow-colored empty rooms with walls and fluorescent lights.
So, the fact that Backrooms is exclusively screened for theaters is a smart move since a movie like this plays well as part of the communal cinematic experience.
And here’s a scary fact: The idea for Backrooms is based on the creepypasta that originated in a 2019 online thread revolving around a single image of a barren room bathed in yellow fluorescent light — and that image was eventually identified in 2024 as a former furniture store-turned-hobby shop undergoing renovation. So, yes, there’s some real-life inspiration behind the idea.
The Studio Didn’t Hire a Hollywood Director. They Hired the Kid Who Started It All
When A24 considered bringing The Backrooms to the big screen, they figured who’d be a better choice than the creator of the viral YouTube shorts and web series to direct the feature-length adaptation. His nine-minute short film already proved that he was a promising filmmaker to look out for back in 2022, and now, the big-screen version of Backrooms will be his first theatrical movie. He’s also now the youngest director to work for A24 and one of the youngest directors ever to lead a studio feature at 20.
With a bigger budget at his disposal, compared to what he has done before, it allows him to demonstrate how far he can go with his directorial flair. But Parsons isn’t just the director for the movie, but also served multiple behind-the-scenes roles as a co-writer alongside TV’s Ash vs Evil Dead and Westworld’s Will Soodik, co-producer, and even co-composed the music with The Monkey and Keeper’s Edo Van Breemen. So he’s involved with the entire process of making the film.
But he’s also got really great talent to mentor him. Shawn Levy and James Wan — the minds behind Stranger Things and The Conjuring universe, respectively – are producing.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve Aren’t Here to Make a Viral Gimmick
The big-screen version of Backrooms doesn’t want to restrict itself to being a horror movie that just relies on the viral internet sensation. Enlisting a reliable cast, backed by Renate Reinsve, best known for her performance in The Worst Person in the World and Sentimental Value, and 12 Years a Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor, adds significant weight to the movie.
They could have hired a bunch of unknowns, but the fact that they have this level of talent involved tells us something about the script and the concept: it’s probably really strong. And from what we’ve already seen in the teasers and the trailers, this cast looks very committed to delivering great performances.
The cast also includes Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia.
They Built 30,000 Square Feet of the Backrooms. For Real
Unlike The Backrooms (Found Footage), which relies on the open-source 3D software of Blender, the big-screen version reportedly uses practical sets. Kane Parsons and his crew built a whopping 30,000 square feet of backrooms, allowing the actors to walk around the space. It was so big that sometimes the cast and crew would get lost on the set.
With actual space being constructed, it also helped to make everything look more believable. And as we know, actors on a physical set typically perform and react better in a real environment than relying on their imagination or green screen. So the fear they experience walking down the big yellow walls is probably very real.
A24 Doesn’t Make Horror Movies. They Make Horror Events
A24, the renowned indie production company, is obviously no stranger to distributing and producing unique horror films – usually titles that lean more on artistic integrity and auteur-driven quality rather than mainstream-friendly formula. Just look back at some of their work, like The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar, and Talk to Me. These are some of the best horror films of the last decade. And they all come from one studio.
Backrooms happens to be the latest horror movie under A24, and the studio’s pedigree and reputation alone make it a must-watch for horror fans.
Backrooms opens on May 29. Watch the latest trailer for the film below.
