Updated
Updated · North Coast Journal · Jun 4
A24 Releases 105-Minute Backrooms Film From Kane Parsons’ YouTube Horror Hit
Updated
Updated · North Coast Journal · Jun 4

A24 Releases 105-Minute Backrooms Film From Kane Parsons’ YouTube Horror Hit

3 articles · Updated · North Coast Journal · Jun 4

Summary

  • A24’s 105-minute psychological horror film "Backrooms" is now in theaters, turning Kane Parsons’ cult web series into a feature led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renata Reinsve.
  • Parsons first broke out four years ago with a nine-minute "The Backrooms (Found Footage)" video; the then-16-year-old expanded the internet-born analog horror concept into a larger mythology and signed with A24 by 17.
  • The film keeps the series’ mono-yellow liminal spaces, handheld-found-footage feel and creature design, while shifting to a more conventional story about trauma, grief and a divorced man’s descent into the backrooms.
  • The review praises Parsons’ set design, animation, camerawork and score, but says the script weakens the mystery by over-explaining the backrooms’ rules and themes.
  • Its packed-theater reception points to broader mainstream traction for internet-native horror and for younger filmmakers bringing niche online genres into cinemas.

Insights

Can niche internet horror survive its journey to the Hollywood mainstream without losing its soul?
Will explaining the Backrooms' lore in sequels destroy the mystery that made the concept terrifying?
Is a 20-year-old YouTuber topping the box office a fluke or the future of filmmaking?