Internet horror phenomenon, the concept of “Backrooms” arrives at the cinema

Building on his success on the internet, with millions of views on YouTube, American content creator Kane Parsons is bringing his “Backrooms” to the big screen. Distressing and labyrinthine universes, where characters get lost. Launched on Friday in the United States and on June 17 in France, the film is distributed by A24, a film-loving and disruptive American studio already behind several successes in horror cinema such asMidsummer  (2019).

A photo posted online in 2019 on a forum, accompanied by a short text evoking a parallel world where one should not fall inadvertently, gave birth to this phenomenon, which constitutes a “creepypasta”. The name of amateur horror fiction born in the United States over the past fifteen years, which evolves according to the stories told by Internet users.

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“Sceptical about dealing with people in suitsâ€

“I don’t remember exactly the first time I discovered it because it was already all over the internet.”rewinds for AFP Kane Parsons, 13 years old at the time. At the beginning of 2022, he in turn created a short film for his YouTube channel in which a young boy gets lost in terrifying corridors. In two weeks, the video exceeded 20 million views.

“I started getting emails from lots of companiesâ€he says. “I was 16 at the time, this was all very new to me and I was very skeptical about the idea of ​​dealing with people in suits on a subject that was so close to my heart.â€. An agreement was finally reached and filming took place in the summer of 2025, with American actor Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead role and Parsons at the helm for his first film.

“I could never have considered not being a director.”he says. “I have always been uncompromising on this pointâ€. On his YouTube channel Kanepixels, the young man has already proven himself: he has more than three million subscribers, while the twenty videos devoted to the world of “Backrooms” have accumulated more than 215 million views.

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The popularization of a “niche product”

The film fits “giving the continuity directly from the series”he explains. It alternates “found footage” sequences, filmed in the first person and similar to what can be found in his original work, and more classic camera shots. “It was a bit of a niche product, so it was a bit strange to see (this universe) being democratized for the general public.”confides Parsons.

This is not the only internet phenomenon to arrive at the cinema this year. Mark Fischbach (38 million subscribers on YouTube) released in JanuaryIron Lunga horror film adapted from a video game that he himself popularized through online videos. Before that, from 2018, another popular “creepypasta”, that of the slender monster in a costume Slender Manhad collected more than $50 million at the worldwide box office.

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“Backrooms are not finishedé”promises Kane Parsons, who would like to continue the adventure in the cinema or in a television series. He also launched another series on YouTube in 2023, The Oldest Viewwhich this time follows the exploration of an old abandoned underground shopping center.