“The Backrooms,” that viral horror shorts on YouTube that had fans of liminal posting, creepypasta, and backroom lore abuzz, is finally coming to the big screen.
On February 6, it was announced that the 17-year old content creator, Kane Parsons, is collaborating with A24 for the feature film adaptation. The creator himself will direct, with Atomic Monster, Chernin Entertainment, and 21 Laps Entertainment co-producing.
The idea for “The Backrooms” was heavily influenced by a creepypasta entry that was posted to the 4chan website in 2019. It depicts an alternate reality that consists of an abandoned labyrinthine office that delivers an eerie mood with its fluorescent lighting and beige-painted hallways that may be a home for otherworldly creatures.
In January 2022, Parsons released a short that became the first ever entry into the horror series on his channel, which builds a backstory about a shadowy organization that opened a dimensional portal into the Backrooms.
The short is presented as a VHS tape from the 1990s, recorded by a young filmmaker who finds his way to the Backrooms and is forced to escape the creepy creatures inside. The video has garnered over 44 million views as of this writing.
As of today, the VFX artist has produced a total of 16 entries in the mysterious series. His most recent video, “Backrooms – Damage Control,” has nearly a million views and was only released a week ago.
Not much details is revealed about Kane Parsons, other than that he has already created a series of animated videos based on the manga Attack on Titan. He named his wildly famous YouTube channel, “Kane Pixels,” which he launched in 2015.
Other channels have also used Parsons’ universe to produce their own stories set in other terrifying realities. There are a few video games set in the Backrooms, notably “Escape the Backrooms,” a co-op horror exploration game released in 2022.
The film’s production will begin soon, during Parson’s summer break. While the plot is being kept secret for the time being, the nightmarish sci-fi film appears to be promising, with notable creators involved. The Screenwriter, Emmy nominee Robert Patino has worked on several projects, including “Sons of Anarchy,” the first two seasons of “Westworld,” and HBO Max’s limited series “DMZ.” The producers, Shawn Levy from 21 Laps Entertainment and James Wan from Atomic Monster, produced famous creations such as “Stranger Things” and “The Conjuring,” respectively.
The “Backrooms” film is indeed a present for fans of liminal horror, supernatural and ghost stories, mistery, and other similar creepy and unsettling genres.
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