Backrooms

Development and Production

The journey of Backrooms from online phenomenon to major motion picture began in January 2022 when Kane Parsons started uploading his anthological video series to his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels. The series quickly went viral, attracting the attention of several Hollywood studios. By February 2023, a film adaptation was officially announced as a joint production between A24, Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and 21 Laps Entertainment. Parsons was set to direct, marking his feature-length directorial debut, with Roberto Patino initially attached to write the screenplay. The film was produced by James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins, with A24 and Chernin Entertainment co-financing the project for under $10 million. Will Soodik later took over writing duties, penning the final draft of the script.

Parsons drew creative inspiration for both the web series and the film from a diverse range of sources, including the Portal video game franchise, the television series Mr. Robot, and films like Punishment Park and One Hour Photo. He also cited the anime series Paranoia Agent as an influence. The film maintains what Parsons described as a strict continuity with his original YouTube series, expanding its universe for the big screen. Casting was finalized in mid-2025, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve securing the lead roles of Clark and Dr. Mary Kline after Cristin Milioti's deal fell through. Supporting cast members Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia joined the project in July 2025.

Principal photography, conducted under the working title Effigy, took place entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia. Shooting occurred from July 7 to August 14, 2025. The production was a significant undertaking for the Vancouver film industry, utilizing local crew and resources. The film's score was a collaborative effort between composer Edo Van Breemen and director Kane Parsons. The soundtrack also features notable tracks including the Boards of Canada song The Word Becomes Flesh over the end credits, the former lostwave song Ulterior Motives, Eyes of a Stranger by Payolas, and B1, All that follows is true by the Caretaker.

Set Design and Visual Concept

The creation of the film's signature liminal spaces was a monumental technical and artistic challenge. Director Kane Parsons used the 3D software Blender to design the environments, with production designer Danny Vermette tasked with adapting these digital models for physical construction. The production built over 30,000 square feet of Backrooms sets across four sound stages, a process Vermette compared to a complex game of Tetris. This construction required vast amounts of material, including 37,000 square feet of wallpaper and 29,000 square feet of carpeting, much of which was sourced locally in Canada to avoid international tariffs.

The sets were designed to evoke an architectural hell, resembling a flawed digital 3D modelling sandbox. Visual elements included rendering errors like misaligned floors, intersecting arches, and objects clipping through walls, all intended to create a strong sense of unreality and disorientation. Vermette and Parsons emphasized verticality within the sets to make the actors' physical interactions with the environment more challenging and authentic. The design was so extensive and maze-like that people reportedly got lost on the constructed set. The entities within the Backrooms were conceived not as traditional demons but as distorted memories of the real world, with the space itself acting as a prism that refracts its visitors, drawing comparisons to the anomalous zone in the 2018 film Annihilation.

Plot Summary

The film opens in 1990 with Async Research Institute explorer Naren Warne becoming lost and killed within a labyrinthine extradimensional space known as the Backrooms. In the present day, Clark, a failed architect and alcoholic who owns a struggling furniture store in San Jose, discovers a strange portal in his store's basement and falls into the Backrooms. After a terrifying encounter, he escapes but becomes obsessed with the space. Needing proof, he brings his employees, Kat and Bobby, into the Backrooms to film their exploration, which ends in Bobby's death and Clark's separation from Kat.

Clark's therapist, Dr. Mary Kline, grows concerned after receiving a cryptic message from him and investigates the store herself. She enters the Backrooms and finds Clark, who has been psychologically transformed by his prolonged exposure to the space. He has created a disturbing domestic tableau with static human simulacra and holds Kat captive. Mary confronts Clark about his failures, triggering the arrival of a monstrous, giant entity resembling Clark dressed as the store's pirate mascot. The entity kills Clark and chases Mary through a series of chaotic spaces.

Their final confrontation occurs in a flawed replica of the furniture store, where Mary uses a piece of concrete from her demolished childhood home to defeat the monster. The struggle triggers a gas trap set by the Async Institute, whose researchers, led by scientist Phil, retrieve Mary. In the aftermath, Phil explains that Async discovered the Backrooms and now studies it as their primary focus. The film concludes with Mary under Async's custody and a final shot revealing the Backrooms are now distorting to incorporate her own experiences, creating a silent, deformed simulacrum of herself.

Release and Box Office Performance

Backrooms had its world premiere at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California on May 7, 2026. A24 released the film theatrically in the United States on May 29, 2026, following earlier releases in South Korea and Italy on May 27. An extended version of the film, titled Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition, which added a 15-minute prequel sequence, was released on July 3, 2026. The film arrived on digital platforms on July 14, 2026, with the bonus footage later posted to Parsons's YouTube channel on August 19.

The film was a staggering box office success, far exceeding initial projections. Early forecasts suggested an opening weekend of around $20 million, but by release, expectations had risen to $40-50 million. Backrooms shattered these estimates, earning $81.5 million domestically and $118 million worldwide in its debut, setting a new record for A24's biggest opening weekend. The film experienced a steep 70% drop in its second weekend but still earned enough to become A24's highest-grossing film ever, surpassing the previous record held by Marty Supreme (2025). By its fourth weekend, worldwide box office totals had reached $301 million.

As of September 20, 2026, Backrooms had grossed $402.5 million globally against a production budget of under $10 million. This total comprised $197.5 million from the United States and Canada and $204.9 million from other territories. The achievement made director Kane Parsons the youngest filmmaker to reach number one at both the domestic and global box offices with a single film, breaking a record previously held by Josh Trank for Chronicle (2012). The film's top international markets included China ($27.8 million), Mexico ($17.8 million), the United Kingdom ($17.6 million), Australia and New Zealand ($12.3 million), and France ($12.2 million).

Critical Reception and Cultural Impact

Backrooms received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its innovative concept, atmospheric dread, and Parsons's directorial confidence. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 316 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The critical consensus highlighted Parsons's startlingly assured feature debut and described the film as mesmerizing and terrifying. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 47 reviews, indicating generally favorable reception. Audience scores were more mixed, with CinemaScore reporting a B− grade and PostTrak indicating a 68% positive score, with 53% of those surveyed saying they would definitely recommend the film.

Reviewers frequently commended the film's unique visual style and psychological depth. Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times described it as a surreal, dreamlike experience akin to a moving Salvador Dalí painting. Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised Parsons's skill at building dread through mood and sound design, comparing the film to Eraserhead and The Shining. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian highlighted its oppressive atmosphere and striking production design, while Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter called it an unsettling and immersive expansion of the online universe. Some criticism focused on the script's explicit thematic handling, though many agreed the film's emotional honesty and visual creativity were tremendously effective.

The film's success was seen as a significant moment for digital-native filmmakers. Industry reports noted that the strong performance of Backrooms and other creator-driven horror films signalled a shift, with studios increasingly looking to online platforms for new intellectual property and talent. Following the success of Backrooms, Reddit is emerging as a destination for agents, executives and studios seeking new intellectual property, talent and story ideas from online communities. Studios believe that engaging with these communities is crucial for finding the next big horror property. The Hollywood Reporter described the box office success of Parsons's Backrooms as evidence of the growing influence of YouTube-native filmmakers in the horror genre.

Future Projects and Sequel

Following the film's success, director Kane Parsons confirmed he was not finished with the Backrooms universe. In May 2026, he stated that there were already things in the works right now and that his original YouTube web series would continue. By early June, trade publications like Deadline Hollywood reported that Parsons was seeking a screenwriting collaborator for a sequel, though Parsons himself later denied that a writer was being formally sought at that time. He also expressed interest in developing a Backrooms television series. The development of a sequel moved forward significantly by September 2026, when it was reported that Parsons had signed a deal with A24 to direct the follow-up film. An official announcement was described as imminent. This move solidified the partnership between the young filmmaker and the studio that had distributed his breakthrough hit, ensuring the continuation of the franchise that began as an online creepypasta and evolved into a major cinematic property.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Clark, a furniture store owner and failed architect. Renate Reinsve plays Dr. Mary Kline, Clark's therapist. The supporting cast includes Mark Duplass as Phil, an Async scientist and Backrooms researcher. It also includes Finn Bennett as Robert "Bobby" Franklin and Lukita Maxwell as Kathrine "Kat" Taylor. Avan Jogia plays Naren Warne, an Async explorer of the Backrooms.

• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a furniture store owner and failed architect.
• Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, Clark's therapist.
• Mark Duplass as Phil, an Async scientist and Backrooms researcher.
• Finn Bennett as Robert "Bobby" Franklin, Kat's boyfriend.
• Lukita Maxwell as Kathrine "Kat" Taylor, Clark's employee.
• Avan Jogia as Naren Warne, an Async explorer of the Backrooms.
• Robert Bobroczkyi as Captain Clark, the giant monstrous pirate entity.
• Krista Kosonen as Nora Kline, Mary's mother.

Additional performances include Ember Ambrose as young Mary. Patrick Baynham, Dana Mahmood, and Rhiannon Roberts appear as the simulacra "Still Life" entities. They are credited as the Bearded Man, Archibald Leland Sutter, and Red-Headed Woman. Katharine Isabelle makes a cameo during a scene at Mary's house party. Robert Bobroczkyi plays Captain Clark, a giant monstrous entity that resembles Clark in a pirate costume. Krista Kosonen plays Nora Kline, Mary's mother.

Key Production and Release Dates

The development and release of Backrooms followed a rapid timeline from its origins as a web series to a global theatrical event. On January 7, 2022, Kane Parsons began uploading an anthological video series titled Backrooms onto his YouTube channel. In February 2023, a film adaptation was officially announced as a joint production between A24, Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and 21 Laps Entertainment. Principal photography took place in Vancouver from July 7 to August 14, 2025. Backrooms premiered at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California on May 7, 2026, and was theatrically released in the United States by A24 on May 29, 2026.

• January 7, 2022: Kane Parsons begins uploading the Backrooms web series to YouTube.
• February 2023: Film adaptation officially announced with Parsons directing.
• July 7 to August 14, 2025: Principal photography takes place in Vancouver.
• May 7, 2026: World premiere at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
• May 29, 2026: Theatrical release in the United States by A24.
• July 3, 2026: Release of the extended Everything Must Go Edition.
• July 14, 2026: Digital release on platforms.
• September 2026: Parsons signs a deal with A24 to direct a sequel.

Notable Soundtrack and Source Music

The film's audio landscape, composed by Edo Van Breemen and Kane Parsons, is complemented by several carefully selected source tracks. The Boards of Canada track "The Word Becomes Flesh" from their album Inferno plays during the film's end credits. The tracks "Ulterior Motives", a well-known former lostwave song, and "Eyes of a Stranger" by Payolas also feature in the film. Another featured track is "B1, All that follows is true" by the Caretaker. These songs are used at specific moments to build mood and thematic resonance.

• The Word Becomes Flesh by Boards of Canada (plays during the end credits).
• Ulterior Motives, a well-known former lostwave song.
• Eyes of a Stranger by Payolas.
• B1, All that follows is true by the Caretaker.

Questions about Backrooms

Who directed the 2026 film Backrooms?

The 2026 film Backrooms was directed by Kane Parsons, marking his feature-length directorial debut. Parsons first gained fame for creating the original Backrooms web series on his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels, which began in January 2022. His work on the viral online series led directly to him being hired to direct the feature film adaptation. At the time of the film's release, Parsons became the youngest filmmaker to reach number one at both the domestic and global box offices with a single film.

Where was the Backrooms movie filmed?

Backrooms was filmed entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Principal photography took place under the working title Effigy from July 7 to August 14, 2025. The production constructed massive sets for the liminal spaces on sound stages in the city, utilizing over 30,000 square feet of stage space. A significant amount of the construction materials, including wallpaper and carpeting, was sourced locally in Canada to avoid the impact of international tariffs.

How much money did Backrooms make at the box office?

Backrooms was a major box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $402.5 million. This sum includes $197.5 million from the United States and Canada and $204.9 million from other international territories. Produced on a budget of under $10 million, the film became the highest-grossing film in the history of its distributor, A24, surpassing the previous record held by Marty Supreme. Its top international markets were China ($27.8 million), Mexico ($17.8 million), and the United Kingdom ($17.6 million).

Is the Backrooms movie connected to the YouTube series?

Yes, the 2026 film is a direct adaptation and expansion of Kane Parsons's YouTube web series, also titled Backrooms. The film maintains what the director described as a strict continuity with the events and lore of the online series. Parsons, who created, directed, and scored the web series, was the driving creative force behind the film adaptation. Following the movie's release, Parsons confirmed that the original YouTube series would continue alongside development of future cinematic projects.

Will there be a Backrooms sequel?

A sequel to Backrooms is in active development. Director Kane Parsons confirmed in May 2026 that he was not finished with the universe and had projects in the works. By September 2026, it was reported that Parsons had signed a deal with A24 to direct the sequel, with an official announcement said to be imminent. Parsons has also expressed interest in developing a Backrooms television series, indicating multiple avenues for expanding the franchise.

What is the Backrooms movie about?

The film follows Clark, a struggling furniture store owner and failed architect, who discovers a portal to a nightmarish dimension of endless, yellow-hued liminal spaces known as the Backrooms. After becoming obsessed, he brings others into the space with tragic results. His therapist, Dr. Mary Kline, investigates his disappearance and must confront both a psychologically broken Clark and monstrous entities within the Backrooms. The story explores themes of trauma, memory, and reality, while also introducing a shadowy research organization, the Async Institute, that studies the anomalous dimension.

Sources and further reading

• Backrooms (Wikipedia)
• Backrooms (rottentomatoes.com)
• Backrooms (tv.apple.com)
• Backrooms review, Kane Parsons' icily disturbing horror ... (theguardian.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-18.