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Film School: Backrooms (2026)

Backrooms (2026) Backrooms (2026)

Lessons from the origins and marketing of the creepypasta horror film, by the youngest director in A24 history.

This entry was supposed to be a review: of the compelling concept, the powerfully creepy execution, the satisfyingly entwined theme and character studies, and how the incredible Renate Reinsve maybe wasn’t right for this role; that the film’s austounding physical sets are photographed exactly as precisely as they need to be, that the sound design hits all the right notes (or more aptly, all the most effective frequencies), and how the film sharply comments on AI while being a pre-internet period piece. Above all, I intended to talk about how Backrooms does my favourite thing that horror movies rarely do: it doesn’t explain its horror literally, but instead has the confidence to let its design do the talking. But there’s so much to the story surrounding this movie, that in the course of researching to find out more about it, this entry has basically become a Backrooms fanzine.

Backstory

The original YouTube video that started it all, created mostly using Blender and After Effects, by then 16 year old Kane Parsons (aka Kane Pixels). In interviews, he has described playing to both his strengths as a creator, and to the strengths of the tools – which explains, for example, the choice to put the otherwise unconvincing-looking human characters in hazmat suits:

Before that, the Backrooms was a “collaborative fiction project”, as PBS explains in its report on “the Internet’s creepiest space“:

This feature film, Backrooms (2026), was directed and co-written by Kane Parsons – at 20, the youngest director in the history of the film’s distributor, A24:

And yes, as one of the film’s stars Mark Duplass attests, Kane Parsons really did direct Backrooms…

@duplassmark

You may like the movie. You may not. But you should know that Kane Parsons is the one and only director of THE BACKROOMS.

♬ original sound – Mark Duplass

… despite the fact that Kane Parsons, as the trafficker of lore that he is, cheekily encouraged the rumour himself:

Influences

Kane Parsons shares his inspirations for the YouTube series and the film (via Letterboxd):

Marketing

The Backrooms posters, trailer, and guerila marketing…

… reference the film’s online and real-world origins:

Filming

Kane Parsons explains his and cinematographer Jeremy Cox‘s lighting design – ‘uncinematic‘ – to remain true to the location and to the vibe of the original YouTube video (clipped from the full-length interview with Patrick Tomasso):

Together they explain how they filmed the live action found footage sequences (again via Patrick Tomasso):

With this is mind, Kane Parsons breaks down a scene – and talks influences along the way (via Fandango):

My personal favourite (and Kane’s too, apparently) is lighting an exterior location (and using Blender for set extensions) to look like it’s all interior (via Backrooms Movie Updates and Patrick Tomasso):

@impatrickt

Balloon lights in the BACKROOMS. #movies #cinematography #behindthescenes

♬ original sound – impatrickt

Blender

The film’s original teaser trailer featured only the backrooms themselves:

Kane Parsons once again used Blender to create the film’s concept art, to design the sets…

…. before they were physically built (via A24)…

… and before all of that, to previs the entire movie, as he explains to director James Wan (via A24):

The cast of Backrooms attempts to map out the film’s 30,000 sq ft set (via A24):

Further Viewing

The full 30 second commercial for Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire:

LPLONGMIRE explains the Backrooms augmented reality game which ran as part of A24’s marketing of the film:

@longmirelp

The Backrooms ARG is so cool! #filmtok #movietok #horror #thebackrooms #theory

♬ original sound – LPLONGMIRE

Spoilers (if you haven’t seen the movie, how have you read to this point?) – fan edit ‘Backrooms (2026) – Ending with Parallel Scenes’ (via NeonGenesisSc):

Kane Parsons reveals a happy accident during production (via BAFTA):

The full chat between James Wan (director, and producer of Backrooms) and Kane Parsons (via A24):

Perhaps Magritte and de Chirico weren’t direct influences, but Backrooms certainly carries on an artistic tradition (via MOYADO)…

… and inspires creators in others, such as Jim Redding and Swangzhe:

You know it’s a hit when brands get in on the act:

This is a playlist of Lazy Tutorials by Ian Hubert, from which Kane Parsons learned to use Blender:

Backrooms (2026) vs The Blair Witch Project (1999):

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Honestly, if you don’t believe Kane Parsons directed his own film, you haven’t been paying attention (via CBS):

@cbsmornings

“It’s very hard to find the way right now”: Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of “Backrooms,” explains why he thinks the concept that inspired his film is resonating with his generation. #backrooms #kaneparsons #filmmaking

♬ original sound – CBS Mornings

If this movie is your entry point to the work of Kane Parsons, here is the playlist of all episodes of his original YouTube series The Backrooms (which also includes the fan theory – among some painstaking, compelling studies – which I suspect is the “correct” one):

Backrooms – Everything Must Go is 15 minutes of bonus footage, added after the initial Backrooms theatrical release:

One movie Backrooms reminded me of, for a few reasons (the horror of a truly alien entity / environment, the way it functions as a visceral metaphor for human desolation, and at least one specific image), is Annihilation (2018):

Review: Annihilation (2018)