Backrooms: From 4chan Creepypasta to A24 Horror Film

The Backrooms, a creepypasta originating from a 2019 4chan post featuring a yellow hallway photo and lore about 'noclipping' into an endless maze, has been adapted into a feature film by A24. Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons (known online as Kane Pixels), who first uploaded a Backrooms video to YouTube in January 2022, the film stars Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, with producers Shawn Levy and James Wan. Set in 1990, the plot follows Clark (Ejiofor), a furniture store owner who discovers a portal in his basement and later disappears, prompting his therapist (Reinsve) to rescue him. The film opens in cinemas on May 29. Parsons, who grew up in Petaluma, California, used Blender and Adobe After Effects to create his first video, which amassed 7 million views in 48 hours and led to a web series with nearly 200 million views. A24 greenlit the film in 2025, making Parsons the youngest director in the studio's history. The project exemplifies a growing pipeline from internet creator culture to Hollywood, particularly in horror, following successes like Danny and Michael Philippou's Talk To Me and Curry Barker's Obsession.