A24 Built Thirty Thousand Square Feet Of Backrooms So Kane Parsons Could Bring His “Strange” World To Life

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Director Kane Parsons has expanded the world of Backrooms – originally known from online videos – into a full-fledged movie experience.

A24’s new horror film is inspired by a popular online series that started in 2022, which itself came from a 2019 post on the website 4chan. The movie, titled Backrooms, centers around Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a furniture store owner who finds a strange, never-ending space in his shop’s basement. As he explores this mysterious area, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) begins to look into what’s happening.

With support from producers like James Wan and Osgood Perkins, director Parsons was able to increase the film’s budget and assemble a talented cast. He prioritized creating a complex and nuanced movie, even if it meant trimming some of his original ideas.

When asked about cutting ideas, Parsons explained that some of what he originally envisioned didn’t make it into the final film. He described the movie as unusual and full of strange elements. While he previously created his videos using software like Blender and After Effects, the production team actually built a massive 30,000-square-foot set representing the Backrooms, which was so large that people got lost while filming.

Parsons has spent a lot of time developing how the Backrooms function, which has enabled him to tell the story not just through what happens, but through the atmosphere and visual style of the Backrooms themselves. As a first-time director, he’s really focused on creating a strong sense of place.

I’ve developed a very distinct style over the past few years, which I call ‘The Complex’ in both the film and my series. When creating the Backrooms, I follow a strict internal logic in every detail – how the spaces are built, how they function, and what’s possible within them, both in terms of events and the architecture itself.

The film features recurring architectural styles that contribute to its storytelling. Certain locations are repeated throughout, and many details aren’t immediately obvious—you might not notice them until a second viewing.

As a big fan of atmospheric horror, I’ve been fascinated by the Backrooms ever since that original, unsettling image went viral. It really captured this feeling of being ‘in-between’ places. The story’s taken off since then, with tons of people sharing their own creepy takes on the idea. It’s actually gotten so big that the fandom’s kind of split – some of us really prefer the original, simple concept, like what you see in Parsons’ work: those endless yellow hallways and rooms. It’s that simplicity that was so effective, and a lot of us miss that focus.

From what I’ve seen of A24’s Backrooms adaptation, director Kane Parsons is really embracing a minimalist aesthetic. Most of the footage focuses on those iconic, unsettling yellow rooms, or a fairly normal-looking suburban environment. There’s a quick peek at a poolroom ‘level’ too, but it feels grounded – more akin to the classic yellow rooms than the really out-there, fan-created versions. It’s a smart choice, keeping the core unsettling feeling intact without leaning too heavily into the more fantastical elements.

This careful approach fits with Parsons’ overall vision for the film. He explained that the original inspiration for Backrooms came from photos that sparked a 4chan post – pictures taken in a Wisconsin furniture store. However, he also discussed the psychological side of the concept, saying, “For me, The Backrooms feels connected to what happens when someone experiences sensory deprivation.”

When you’re in a completely empty space, your body and mind crave stimulation. Because it’s lacking that input, it begins to focus on any small detail – like the patterns on the walls – and interprets them as meaningful. It essentially lowers its standards for what it considers important, becoming more likely to find deep significance in things that are actually just random background ‘noise’.

The popularity of Backrooms, similar to the original web series, seems to stem from a fear of emptiness and the unknown as much as from what’s actually present. The series creator, limited by a small budget, built suspense using quiet scenes in oddly familiar places – locations that felt just slightly wrong. Combined with unsettling sounds, this created a truly memorable and frightening experience, one that has strong potential as a feature film.

During their CCXP presentation, A24 showed a sneak peek of the movie. The clip features Clark at his furniture store late at night, relaxing with a beer and watching TV. Suddenly, the TV screen changes from a commercial to a grainy image resembling a security camera feed of a yellow hallway. Investigating a power problem in the store’s basement, Clark unexpectedly finds himself transported out of reality and into the Backrooms.

A24 will release the psychological horror film Backrooms in theaters on May 29th. The movie stars Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Mark Duplass. Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Chris Ferguson, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kori Adelson are the producers.

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2026-04-26 02:43