“Backrooms” just dropped its first trailer, immediately positioning the film as a potential breakout in horror. The project moved quickly from an online concept into a competitive studio acquisition, ultimately landing at A24 with major producers attached. Behind that trajectory is Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old director whose work has already crossed from internet subculture into mainstream filmmaking.
How Kane Parsons Turned a Viral Video Into a Film Deal
Before the industry took notice, Parsons was already building a technical foundation that blurred the line between hobbyist and professional. Born in 2005, he gravitated early toward digital creation tools, experimenting with game engines and visual effects software before moving into more advanced programs like Blender and Adobe After Effects. That self-taught workflow became the backbone of his filmmaking style, rooted in atmosphere and controlled visual minimalism rather than traditional production scale.
Source: IMDb
His breakthrough came in early 2022 with a short titled “The Backrooms (Found Footage),” uploaded to his YouTube channel. Initially conceived as a standalone piece, the video rapidly gained traction and amassed tens of millions of views, tapping into the unsettling familiarity of liminal spaces and analog horror aesthetics. What began as a single experiment soon expanded into an interconnected series, establishing a fictional research entity and a fragmented narrative that rewarded close viewing.
Parsons’ rise was not limited to a single project. He had already explored narrative formats through earlier work and continued branching out with series like “The Oldest View” and “People Still Live Here,” both of which leaned into slow-burn storytelling and digital world-building. At the same time, he developed a parallel career in music, composing original scores that reinforced the tone of his visual projects.
That momentum led to a pivotal industry moment. After studios expressed interest in adapting “Backrooms,” A24 secured the rights in 2023, with producers including James Wan backing the project. The feature film, written by Will Soodik, centers on a therapist searching for a missing patient inside a surreal, otherworldly dimension. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass.
Production took place in Vancouver in mid-2025, with Parsons not only directing but also contributing to the picture’s score alongside composer Edo Van Breemen. The movie is scheduled for release on May 29, marking his feature debut at an age when most filmmakers are still finding their footing.
