Kane Parsons turns viral Backrooms internet horror myth into A24 feature film debut

The article explores the rapid rise of filmmaker Kane Parsons, who transformed an internet horror concept known as the “Backrooms” into a major Hollywood feature. Parsons first gained attention at just 16 years old when he uploaded a nine-minute YouTube video inspired by a 4chan meme describing endless, liminal, fluorescent-lit rooms filled with eerie emptiness and existential dread. The concept quickly went viral, spawning a dedicated online fanbase and expanding into a broader collaborative mythology across social media platforms. His early work, created using Blender and Adobe After Effects, impressed viewers with its unsettling atmosphere and technical skill, leading studios to approach him shortly after its release. Now 20, Parsons has directed his first feature film with A24, marking him as the studio’s youngest director to date. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and is written by Will Soodik, known for work on series such as Homeland and Westworld. It is also produced by genre veterans Osgood Perkins and James Wan. The narrative expands the original concept, following a troubled protagonist who discovers a hidden passageway into an infinite, surreal maze of rooms that defy logic and understanding. The story blends psychological drama with horror, exploring isolation, memory, and personal collapse. Parsons emphasizes that he did not initially intend to create a pathway into Hollywood but was drawn to the creative gaps in internet culture and liminal-space aesthetics. The film also reflects on how online communities build complex mythologies around shared ideas, often generating theories that can both enrich and constrain storytelling. Set partly in the 1990s, the story removes modern internet tools, intensifying its mystery. The article positions Backrooms as both a terrifying cinematic experience and a landmark example of internet-born creativity transitioning into mainstream filmmaking.