Key facts
- The Backrooms phenomenon originated as a creepypasta story on Reddit in 2019.
- The concept involves an endless maze of empty rooms, known as liminal spaces.
- It has expanded into a collaborative fiction with videos and games.
- A low-budget horror film based on the phenomenon is outperforming a new Star Wars movie.
- The film is directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons.
The Backrooms is an internet phenomenon that originated as a creepypasta story, first posted on Reddit in 2019. The concept describes an endless maze of randomly generated office rooms, often depicted as unsettling and dangerous, exploring themes of liminal spaces like empty hallways, abandoned malls, and indoor pools at night. The phenomenon has since expanded into a vast collaborative fiction, with numerous videos, games, and other creative works exploring the theme of being trapped in these spaces. A low-budget horror film based on this phenomenon, "The Backrooms (Found Footage)", directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, is reportedly outperforming a new Star Wars movie at the box office. Hollywood is looking to identify more YouTube creators with proven directing and writing experience for potential film projects, with horror and comedy films expected to lead the way in YouTube creator-to-film transitions. Filmmakers like Kinigra Deon, Baron Ryan, and Markiplier are mentioned as potential next big names to cross over to Hollywood.