At just 20 years old, director Kane Parsons is making a major leap to the big screen. Following the viral success of his "Backrooms" series on YouTube, Parsons is now helming a feature film adaptation of the same name, set to premiere on May 29, 2026. This project not only makes him the youngest feature film director in A24's history but also highlights the significant potential for online creators to transition into the mainstream film industry.
"The Backrooms" originated as an urban legend, depicting an infinitely expanding, eerie space characterized by yellow walls and the incessant hum of fluorescent lights. The film version expands on this unsettling atmosphere, incorporating a more defined character narrative as a cast of actors navigates the otherworldly dimension in search of missing individuals. Parsons emphasized his deliberate effort to cultivate a profound sense of "solitude" in the movie, with most scenes featuring only one or two characters to heighten the psychological pressure.
For the production, Parsons leveraged his self-taught 3D modeling skills, using Blender to design the intricate environments. His team then brought these designs to life, constructing a massive physical set spanning 30,000 square feet. Parsons revealed that the crew conducted approximately 50 wallpaper tests to achieve the precise shade of yellow that would resonate most with audience memories. The sheer scale of the completed set was so vast that even crew members reportedly got lost within it, further enhancing its immersive realism.
Parsons stressed that the core of "The Backrooms" isn't about random, dream-like shifts, but rather exploits human cognitive mechanisms of space, causing individuals to gradually lose their sense of direction within its endless structures. He believes the work resonates deeply because it taps into modern society's collective anxiety regarding institutions and environments, as well as the psychological responses people experience under extreme isolation and sensory deprivation.
via： THR