“You are not supposed to be here.”
With that chilling warning, Backrooms steps out of the internet’s darkest corners and onto the big screen. The first teaser for Backrooms, directed by viral horror visionary Kane Parsons, has arrived — and it signals a bold new chapter for a concept that redefined online fear for an entire generation.
What began as a simple, uncanny upload from Parsons — a grainy descent into endless, fluorescent-lit liminality — quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. His original short didn’t just go viral; it reshaped the visual language of modern horror, blending analog dread, digital-age mythmaking, and the suffocating terror of infinite, inescapable space. Now, that nightmare expands into a feature film event.
Bringing gravitas and emotional depth to the labyrinth are Academy Award nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, leading a cast that also includes Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell. Their involvement signals that this is no mere internet adaptation — it’s a prestige horror project with serious cinematic ambition.
The screenplay comes from Will Soodik, translating the abstract, existential terror of the Backrooms mythology into a narrative anchored by character and consequence. At its core, the film’s premise is deceptively simple: a strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom. But as the teaser makes clear, stepping through that threshold means entering a world where reality fractures, time dissolves, and survival becomes uncertain.
Behind the scenes, the project boasts an extraordinary producing team. Horror powerhouse James Wan joins forces with Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Osgood Perkins, Chris Ferguson, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kori Adelson — a lineup that bridges blockbuster spectacle and arthouse unease.
The teaser itself leans into minimalism. There are no easy answers, no over-explained mythology — only the creeping sense that something is fundamentally wrong. Endless yellow corridors hum under harsh fluorescent lights. Spaces stretch beyond logic. The camera lingers just long enough to make you question whether something moved in the corner of the frame. It’s dread distilled.
What made Parsons’ original work so potent was its restraint — the understanding that fear thrives in ambiguity. That philosophy appears intact here. Rather than overcomplicating the mythology, the film seems poised to expand its emotional and psychological stakes, grounding its cosmic terror in human vulnerability.
In an era where horror continues to evolve — from elevated psychological thrillers to experimental digital-age nightmares — Backrooms feels like a convergence point. It acknowledges its internet-born origins while stepping confidently into cinematic scale, backed by seasoned filmmakers and an accomplished ensemble cast.
For Australian audiences, the descent begins soon. Backrooms opens in cinemas nationwide on May 28. Just remember: you are not supposed to be here.
