A dark doorway from A24's Backrooms
By
Bill Dubiel
Published Feb 27, 2026, 10:15 PM EST
Bill Dubiel is a veteran writer, editor, and college professor based in Buffalo, NY. He has been a Senior Writer with Screen Rant since 2023. You can usually find him at a late-night double feature including the newest horror movie and latest Oscar bait.
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The production company A24 has delivered compelling movies across a variety of genres, but many would argue the very best of its filmography still lies in horror. One of the most significant upcoming additions to that portfolio is the haunting sci-fi horror experience Backrooms, which just got its first trailer and is set for a May 2026 release date.
Backrooms is based on a viral 4chan creepypasta, which described a fictional location known as The Backrooms—a seemingly endless labyrinth of empty rooms that exist outside our own dimension. Accessible only by exiting our reality, The Backrooms concept evolved over time to include various levels and even some monstrous entities that inhabit the space.
The emptiness and never-ending nature of the rooms is where the creepypasta's main source of dread is derived from, and to fully capture it requires a precise vision. A24 went right to the source of The Backrooms to find such a vision: the Internet. Backrooms is directed by Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old British-American filmmaker, and he's the latest in an ever-expanding line of talented horror directors that share a common trait.
Backrooms' Up-And-Coming Director Started On YouTube
A creature appears in The Backrooms
Kane Parsons is more commonly known by his YouTube name, Kane Pixels, and Backrooms is his feature directorial debut after getting his start on YouTube. Parsons took The Backrooms concept to new heights in 2022 when he produced the viral short The Backrooms (Found Footage), which spawned an entire series of related shorts exploring The Backrooms.
Parsons' viral web series directly led to him directing the feature-length version for A24, and stands as the company's youngest director given that he was just 17 years old when he signed on to direct. Backrooms will act as a significant step-up, as Parsons will be moving from self-taught animation and visual effects to directing Academy Award nominees in Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value).
Parsons is the latest new director to burst onto the scene after showcasing his talent on YouTube first, following in the footsteps of the minds behind some of the best filmmakers in horror today. Before he moved the Evil Dead and Alien franchises into the future, Fede Álvarez began as a viral YouTuber, as did the Philippou brothers behind the soul-crushing explorations of grief, Talk to Me and Bring Her Back.
Horror Audiences Are Being Rewarded By First-Time Directors Like Kane Parsons
Man from behind in Iron Lung
Thanks to the relatively low costs of the average horror movie, there is less of a barrier to entry for aspiring filmmakers. As a result, horror fans have been rewarded with new voices and visions seemingly by the month.
Subscribe for in-depth horror and A24 film coverage
Want deeper takes? Subscribe to the newsletter for thoughtful analysis, curated highlights, and contextual reporting that brings A24, Backrooms, and the new wave of YouTube-born horror directors into focus. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Horror icon Sam Raimi (Send Help) was in a slugfest at the box office with YouTuber Markiplier's self-financed and produced horror epic Iron Lung just last month, while filmmaker Ian Tuason hits theaters in just two weeks with his red-hot debut feature Undertone. Elsewhere, another YouTuber like Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, is making waves with the early hype surrounding his movie Obsession, while Adrian Chiarella will make his feature debut in 2026 with the Australian horror movie Leviticus after making a splash at Sundance.
Some of the very best horror movies each year are original visions (and usually entirely original stories) from first-time filmmakers, which is a huge contributing factor to why we're in the midst of a new golden age of horror in Hollywood. Audiences in search of fresh scares and new concepts are never disappointed, which is why movies like Undertone and Backrooms have so much hype surrounding them.
Backrooms
Like Follow Followed Horror Science Fiction Release Date May 29, 2026 Director Kane Parsons Writers Roberto PatinoCast
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Chiwetel Ejiofor
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Renate Reinsve
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Mark Duplass
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Finn Bennett
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Subscribe for in-depth horror and A24 film coverage
Want deeper takes? Subscribe to the newsletter for thoughtful analysis, curated highlights, and contextual reporting that brings A24, Backrooms, and the new wave of YouTube-born horror directors into focus. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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