Summary
- Kane Parsons is making his directorial debut with a feature adaptation of his viral YouTube series
- The teaser reveals a glimpse of the endless yellow maze and humming fluorescent lights
- Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, the film is set for a May 29 release
A24 has officially opened the door to the Backrooms. After years of anticipation following the viral explosion of Kane Parsons’ YouTube short films, the studio has dropped the first teaser for the feature-length adaptation, confirming a summer release date for the liminal horror project.
Directed by 20-year-old Parsons, who began the project as a teenager, the film translates the grainy, unsettling aesthetic of his original “found footage” series to the big screen. The teaser remains appropriately minimalist, beginning in a desolate room featuring a lone, dirty chair before the camera descends into the familiar, madness-inducing “Level 0” architecture: endless mono-yellow wallpaper, damp carpet, and the buzz of fluorescent lights.
The script, penned by Roberto Patino and Will Soodik, reportedly grounds the surreal concept in a narrative about a therapist who must venture into the alternate dimension to save a patient. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve in leading roles, with support from Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell. Produced by industry heavyweights Shawn Levy (21 Laps), James Wan (Atomic Monster), and Chernin Entertainment, the project represents a massive scale-up from Parsons’ digital roots while promising to retain the atmospheric dread that garnered hundreds of millions of views online.
Watch the teaser above. Backrooms hits theaters May 29.
