Backrooms explained: director Kane Parsons deciphers the phenomenon

Born on YouTube, already a huge success in the United States and expected to be one of the surprise hits of summer 2026, the film is released today in French cinemas. But what are Backrooms really?

At only 20 years old, Kane Parsons is achieving an extremely rare feat: transforming a YouTube series that has gone viral into a real cinema success.

The idea dates back to 2022. Parsons was only 16 years old when he published his first video on the web Backrooms. Very quickly, he understands that he is holding something larger than a simple horrific short film. He tells Variety:

“I had only started the series a month ago when discussions for a film began. From the first short film, I already had a broader story in mind, with more ambitious themes. I even knew the ending before I started.”

Unlike many Internet phenomena improvised through success, Backrooms has therefore always been thought of as a larger universe.

Why do these empty hallways make us so uncomfortable?

The heart of the phenomenon lies in what Internet users call “liminal spaces”: these strangely familiar yet disturbing places, like abandoned offices, empty hotel corridors or deserted shopping centers.

According to Parsons, this fascination touches something very deep in our memory.

“These images evoke fragments of memories without context. You all have little flashes of memory of a place you visited as a child without knowing where exactly it was or why you remember it. It’s just information floating around in your brain.“

For him, the strength of Backrooms comes from the fact that no one really seems to have created these places;

“We do not feel the presence of an author behind these photos. They often come from real estate advertisements or old image libraries. People can then project themselves into it. It could be the texture of an arch in your grandparents’ house, a ceiling, an insignificant architectural detail that you would never talk about… but suddenly awakens something.“

A story of science fiction…and cosmic horror

If the original videos seemed like simple creepypasta, Kane Parsons sees the Backrooms as a much broader concept:

“Most of the horrors found there come from what the characters themselves project onto these places. Like someone on sensory deprivation trying to make sense of random noises.”

For the director, the Backrooms function like a gigantic machine that pushes human beings to their psychological limits:

“It’s a form of cosmic horror. Everything ends up going in this direction.”

The fear of a Hollywood that distorts its idea

When studios began to show interest in the project, when he was only 16, Parsons admits to being afraid of seeing his world slip away from him.

“We developed a version of the film that could work for both new viewers and fans of the series. We presented it to A24 and several other studios. I had concerns at first, but they eventually went away.“

The young director particularly feared that his concept would be “massacred by senior executives in suits“. Ultimately, his collaboration with A24 allowed him to maintain his vision. Today, Backrooms has already become the biggest success in the history of the independent studio, with almost $300 million in worldwide revenue! Not bad for an idea born only four years ago on YouTube.