Backrooms arrives in Australian cinemas this May, transforming a viral internet legend into a haunting film directed by Kane Parsons.
It begins with a hallway.
Not the kind that belongs to a house or office, but something stranger – fluorescent lights humming above endless yellow walls, carpet stretching into corners that seem to fold back on themselves. There are no windows, no doors, only the faint sensation that someone has wandered somewhere they were never meant to be.
For many people, this unsettling image is instantly recognisable. It belongs to the internet myth known as the Backrooms, a piece of modern folklore that has quietly spread across online communities for years. In 2026, that strange digital legend steps into cinemas with Backrooms, a film directed by Kane Parsons that traces its origins to one of the most unusual creative journeys of the last decade.
What began as a short online video has gradually evolved into a full-scale cinematic release – a reminder that storytelling today often begins in unexpected places.
The Digital Origins Of Backrooms
The story of Backrooms starts not in Hollywood but on the internet. In January 2022, a young filmmaker named Kane Parsons uploaded a short found-footage film to his YouTube channel, imagining what might happen if someone slipped accidentally into a hidden dimension known as the Backrooms.
The concept itself had circulated online long before that – a piece of “creepypasta” folklore describing an endless maze of empty rooms existing just outside reality. But Parsons’ interpretation added something new: atmosphere.
His videos lingered on quiet details – buzzing fluorescent lights, empty hallways, the uneasy feeling of being alone in a space that seems to stretch forever. The minimal storytelling allowed viewers to fill in the gaps themselves, turning uncertainty into the central source of fear.
Within months, the videos had attracted millions of views and sparked a wave of online discussion. The quiet corridors of the Backrooms had become part of a new digital mythology.
Backrooms Moves From Screen To Cinema
What makes the film adaptation remarkable is not only its subject but its creator. When the project was announced, Parsons was still a teenager, making him one of the youngest filmmakers ever to direct a major studio horror feature.
The film is produced by a collection of established producers, including those associated with large-scale genre projects, and distributed by A24 – a studio known for championing distinctive voices in contemporary cinema.
The resulting film brings together a cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass.
Yet despite the scale of the production, the central idea remains deliberately simple.
A doorway appears in an ordinary place – a furniture showroom basement – leading somewhere unfamiliar. Beyond it lies a world that does not quite obey the rules of reality.
The Story Behind Backrooms
At the centre of Backrooms is a mystery that feels quietly personal.
According to early details, the film follows a therapist who becomes drawn into a strange alternate dimension while searching for a missing patient.
What she discovers is not simply a physical location but a kind of liminal space – an environment that appears recognisable yet subtly wrong. Walls repeat endlessly. Rooms connect in impossible ways. The sense of distance dissolves into a maze without direction.
The appeal of this idea lies in its familiarity. Many people have experienced moments of disorientation in unfamiliar buildings – office corridors that seem to loop endlessly, hotel floors where every door looks the same.
The Backrooms transform that feeling into something far more unsettling.
The Atmosphere Of Backrooms
Unlike traditional horror films that rely on sudden shocks or monsters, Backrooms draws its tension from atmosphere.
The world inside the Backrooms is defined by emptiness. Long hallways echo with nothing but the hum of fluorescent lights. Carpeted floors absorb footsteps until even movement becomes uncertain.
The visual language of the film draws heavily from Parsons’ original videos – found-footage style sequences that make viewers feel as though they are wandering through the corridors themselves.
This aesthetic has become a hallmark of modern internet horror, where the fear often lies not in what appears on screen but in what might be waiting just outside the frame.
In a culture increasingly shaped by digital spaces and shared online myths, the Backrooms represent a uniquely contemporary form of storytelling.
Backrooms And The Evolution Of Horror
Part of the fascination surrounding Backrooms is the way it bridges two different creative worlds.
On one side lies traditional cinema – established actors, theatrical releases and carefully produced films. On the other lies the unpredictable creativity of online platforms, where stories emerge organically from communities rather than studios.
The journey from YouTube video to major film release reflects how quickly those boundaries can shift. What once might have remained a niche internet concept has now become a cinematic experiment with global reach.
For audiences, the result is something unusual: a film rooted in the language and imagination of the internet generation.
Stepping Into The Unknown
When Backrooms arrives in cinemas, audiences will step into a story that began quietly online and gradually expanded into a shared cultural curiosity.
Yet the core of the idea remains disarmingly simple.
A doorway opens somewhere ordinary. Someone steps through it.
Beyond that point lies a maze of empty rooms where time and distance seem to lose their meaning. The lights flicker softly overhead. The carpet stretches onward. The hallway continues.
And somewhere in the distance, the uneasy thought returns:
You are not supposed to be here.
Event Details
Film: Backrooms
Director: Kane Parsons
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass
Distributor: A24
Australian Cinema Release: 28 May 2026
Format: Nationwide theatrical release
Official Information: https://a24films.com