From the creators of shocking horror flicks such as Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and the newest addition, Talk to Me (2023), A24 is diving deeper into the horror genre. This time, the studio seeks to make audiences squirm with their new film, The Backrooms. The Backrooms is a horror film that feasts on a viewer’s fear of liminal spaces, creating an unsettling aura. Here’s everything we know:
What are backrooms?
The “backrooms” are the fictitious backdrop for the film, consisting of hallways or rooms mostly void of furniture; the viewer is often filled with a sense of dread, alone in this strange location. The concept originated on 4Chan, an anonymous open forum for images and discourse on various topics. The site is home to many so-called “creepypastas,” a horror spin on the term “copypasta” due to users copying and pasting these posts around the internet. A “creepypasta” is a short story created by users with the intent of disturbing and unnerving its readers. An avid community is dedicated to these posts, and a few of them have become so viral that they have already become major motion pictures, notably Slender Man (2018).
On May 14th, 2019, an anonymous user made a post that started it all, titled “The Backrooms.” The user features an image of an empty carpeted room with old, yellowed wallpaper: “If you’re not careful and you no-clip out of reality in the wrong areas, you’ll end up in the Backrooms.” They describe the setting as having musty carpet, florescent lighting, and “six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.” This post inspired many similar posts and, eventually, inspired one teenager to make a series of haunting uploads that sent shockwaves through the community.
the mind of Kane parsons
Kane Parsons, known as Kane Pixel on YouTube, has amassed a subscriber count of almost 2.5 million with his inventive video series about these liminal nightmarish spaces. He began uploading two years ago and is now directing this major motion picture at just 17 years old! These videos originated from the basic premise set forth by the 4Chan user, exploring more facets of this mysterious and often terrifying realm.
Through his pre-existing experience with the software Blender, Kane could construct 3D renderings of the backrooms. This enabled him to make the environment immersive and seemingly limitless, with endless possibilities. In an interview he did with Youtuber and Cryptid-fanatic “Wendigoon,” he explained that the world around him inspired him. The Backrooms themselves feel familiar, like real life, yet slightly detached from the realm of possibility. Another source of inspiration was the setting of the hit game Portal. The game follows Chell, the sole visible human test subject and protagonist, escaping a cold, sterile, and seemingly desolate facility; this work of science fiction has some environmental similarities to the tone of Kane’s videos.
the plot
While the new film’s plot has not been released, it is speculated to coincide with the events in Kane Parson’s uploads.
These videos are made in first person; the camera acts as a participant, making the experience even more immersive. The camera quality is shaky, low-resolution, and seems to be recorded on an old camcorder. The very first episode, titled “The Backrooms (Found Footage),” is set in 1996 and features a group of friends filming a movie together outdoors. They discuss camera angles and act out basic scenes while one actor dons a monkey mask. All of a sudden, the cameraman no-clips into the backrooms. No-clipping is a term often used in video games to describe glitching through solid matter in a virtual world, in this case, referring to phasing into another reality. The idea that simply one wrong move could condemn someone to the liminal, inescapable hellscape of the backrooms is nightmarish…
In this episode, the protagonist is seemingly transported into a vacant office space, alone and confused about where his friends have gone. He encounters signs of other life among the meandering corridors and oddly constructed passageways. Suddenly, a spindly creature emerges from the shadows, chasing him through this endless void.
The panicked sounds of breathing, shoes pounding against the ground, and the shaking camera culminate in a tense and horrifying sequence. The rest of the video compiles a variety of settings one may find in the backrooms, further building up the world until the cameraman comes face to face with the creature. The camera then no-clips and falls to earth, leaving the ending up to interpretation. Only time will tell if this filmmaker’s story will be told in the upcoming film.
Who is behind this film?
The script is written by Roberto Patino, a producer and screenwriter known for his work on DMZ, Sons of Anarchy, and Westworld! He will work alongside Kane as he makes his directorial debut outside of the YouTube space. This film is not only backed by A24, but also by Atomic Monster, 21 Laps, and Chernin Entertainment.
Atomic Monster
Atomic Monster was created by James Wan, who is no stranger to the horror community. The studio has produced all of The Conjuring films, M3gan (2022), Malignant (2021), and many more! He even has credits on a few of the Saw franchise installments.
21 Laps
21 Laps was created by Shawn Levy, a filmmaker best known for his work on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, which delves into dark science fiction madness each season.
Chernin Entertainment
Lastly, Chernin Entertainment, created by producer Peter Chernin, is responsible for the newest installments of Planet of the Apes, the Fear Street trilogy, and Ford v. Ferrari (2019).
upcoming release
The film does not yet have an official release date, but it is sure to be highly anticipated by the creepypasta community, Kane Pixel’s subscribers, and horror junkies alike.