Kane Parsons Confirms Backrooms Sequel Plans

The unsettling, liminal world of therooms is far from over. Director Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old visionary behind the recently released horror thriller, has officially confirmed that sequels to his critically acclaimed film are not just a possibility, but are actively in development.

Parsons' announcement signals a significant expansion for the project, which began as a viral internet sensation before making its way to the big screen. The film, distributed by A24, premiered in Los Angeles on May 7, 2026, and saw a wider release across the United States on May 29, 2026. Public statements from Parsons indicate that this initial cinematic offering is merely the first chapter in a much larger narrative, with intentions for continuation firmly in place since as early as 2022.

The *Backrooms* film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a furniture owner whose mental breakdown and marital issues lead him to discover a portal to another dimension filled with haunting memories. The plot, set in 1990, sees Clark moving into his store, "Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire," where he finds a "null zone" in the basement that opens into the endless, liminal spaces known as the Backrooms. His therapist, Dr. Mary Kline, portrayed by Renate Reinsve, eventually follows him into this strange dimension. The film also features Mark Duplass as Async scientist Phil, Finn Bennett as Clark's employee Robert "Bobby" Frankling, and Lukita Maxwell as Bobby's girlfriend Katherine "Kat" Taylor.

Kane Parsons, a British-American filmmaker from Northern California, has quickly risen to prominence as A24's youngest director at just 20 years old. Self-taught in visual effects and directing, Parsons began experimenting with horror storytelling at 16, mastering tools like Blender and After Effects. His breakthrough came on January 7, 2022, when he uploaded a nine-minute short film titled "The Backrooms (Found Footage)" to his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels. This video, depicting a filmmaker accidentally entering an unsettling dimension of unoccupied office space, quickly went viral, accumulating over 79 million views by May 2026.

The concept of the "Backrooms" itself has a fascinating origin. It began circulating as early as 2011 with a single unsettling photograph depicting an empty, expansive room featuring sickly yellow wallpaper, stained industrial carpet, and fluorescent lights. This image, reportedly taken in 2002 during the renovation of a former furniture store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, gained widespread attention on May 12, 2019. An anonymous user on 4chan's /x/ (Paranormal) board prompted others to share "disquieting images that just feel 'off'." The very next day, another anonymous user provided a terrifying description, stating that if one "noclips out of reality in the wrong areas," they would end up in the Backrooms, a place of "old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in." This idea of "noclipping," a term borrowed from video game culture, describes passing through solid objects into an out-of-bounds area. The phenomenon quickly evolved into a popular creepypasta, inspiring countless stories, games, and videos, and becoming a prime example of the "liminal space" aesthetic, which depicts eerily empty, transitional environments.

Following the viral success of his initial short, Parsons created 23 more short films, expanding the lore of the Backrooms into a semi-anthological web series that has garnered over 197 million views across his channel. His series is credited with igniting a surge in popularity and renewed interest in the creepypasta, receiving praise for its visual effects and atmospheric horror. Parsons previously described the series as "a slow burn story focusing on both the politics of Async and the United States government, as well as the otherworldly, confusing functions of The Complex, or The Backrooms."

After the web series gained traction, Parsons was approached by several studios interested in adapting his work into a feature film. In February 2023, it was officially announced that A24, in a joint production with Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and 21 Laps Entertainment, would produce the film adaptation, with Parsons directing in his feature-length debut. Industry heavyweights like James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins served as producers for the project. Roberto Patino was initially set to write the screenplay, with Will Soodik later taking over writing duties. The film was co-financed for under $10 million, with filming commencing in the summer of 2025 and concluding in August of the same year.

The *Backrooms* film has already garnered significant attention, including mentions for potential awards season success, and has been met with strong initial reviews. Critics have praised Parsons' directorial control, visual concept, and the compelling performances of Ejiofor and Reinsve, noting the film's ability to effectively translate the unsettling internet phenomenon to the big screen. The film's box office performance has been notable, with reports indicating it made $10.4 million in Thursday previews, a figure expected to set a new record for A24, surpassing previous releases.

Regarding the future of the franchise, Parsons has been explicit about his intentions. In public statements, he confirmed, "I think this is a world-building exercise on top of what I've already done. I'm well into it, and plan on certainly continuing it. Backrooms is not done." He further elaborated in an interview that sequels are "more than an option — it's been the intention since 2022." Parsons stated, "This film is the first part in what I would desire to be several narrative steps, in terms of approaching what I consider to be the true heart of the idea. I just don't think you could get to it in the time you have for a single movie." He envisions a future series that could branch into different genres, moving towards an "interpersonal sort of drama built on top of a supernatural techno-thriller."

Parsons' journey from self-taught visual effects artist to a major studio director at such a young age highlights a new era of talent emerging from online creative spaces. The success of *Backrooms* showcases the power of internet culture to spawn mainstream hits, while Parsons' ambitious vision promises a deeper dive into the lore he meticulously crafted. With critical acclaim and strong box office numbers already under its belt, the *Backrooms* franchise appears poised to expand its eerie, captivating universe in multiple, genre-bending directions, solidifying Parsons' place as a formidable new voice in horror cinema.