The thought of being trapped in an unfamiliar, or even otherworldly, place is something that most of us have experienced at least once over the years. For some, however, it’s a persistent and irrational fear. For this reason, Backrooms is one upcoming horror movie that has many of us both anticipating and absolutely terrified to experience the story.
Those who suffer from claustrophobia (or fear of the unknown) might be understandably hesitant to check out this upcoming A24 movie, which has mysterious origins that have sent a chill down the spines of fans of viral short horror stories. That said, for those who want to take this path, we’ve put together a comprehensive breakdown of Backrooms that will hopefully help settle those fears before this mysterious experience comes to the big screen late this spring.
What Is The Backrooms Release Date?
Though there are still a number of mysteries surrounding Backrooms, there is one thing we do know, and that is its release date on the 2026 movie schedule. A24 has announced that its new horror film will land on May 29, 2026.
If you’re looking for some alternate programming the same weekend that The Breadwinner and Passenger both hit the big screen, then this mysterious horror film about unsettling liminal spaces is going to do the trick.
What Backrooms Is About
In addition to being the title of the upcoming sci-fi movie, The Backrooms is also the name often attributed to a terrifying alternate reality consisting mostly of a seemingly inescapable maze of dimly lit liminal spaces: hallways and corridors covered in a sickly yellow wallpaper where strange, living dangers lurk. The concept became a viral hit on the Internet in 2019 when a mundane, but somehow unsettling image of unknown origin was shared on Creepypasta.com with the following text:
If you’re not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you’ll end up in the Backrooms, where it’s nothing but the stink 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. God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby because it sure as hell has heard you.
The image was later discovered to have been pulled from a blog post chronicling the renovation of a Wisconsin HobbyTown store, according to Forbes, but the author of the ominous message accompanying it remains unknown.
As far as the movie’s plot is concerned… A24 has provided a brief synopsis that feels larger and larger the more you look into it:
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
What’s behind that strange doorway is anyone’s guess, but the first trailer does offer some clues about the mystery at the center of this new A24 project. Speaking of which…
The Backrooms Trailer
After months of speculation, fans finally got a proper look at Backrooms when A24 dropped the trailer in March 2026 (just one day shy of April Fool’s Day). Though the two-minute video doesn’t offer a lot of answers outside of the basic premise, the mystery of it all is so intriguing that we want to go down there ourselves.
Presented through a combination of standard grainy footage from what looks like an old camcorder and more standard filmmaking, the trailer offers a glimpse at the look, feel, and tone of this mysterious horror film about liminal spaces and their impact on the mind. May 29 cannot come soon enough.
Backrooms Cast
One of the most interesting things about Kane Parsons’ Backrooms series is that, since it is predominantly animated with a free software called Blender (which was used for the Academy Award-winning Flow), the characters' faces are rarely ever shown.
However, that is apparently going to change, based on the recent announcements of who will be included in the Backrooms cast. Though we don’t know who they’ll be playing just yet, A24 has announced the following actors will be appearing in this oh so mysterious movie later this spring…
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Renate Reinsve
- Mark Duplass
- Finn Bennett
- Lukita Maxwell
- Avan Jogia
Kane Parsons Is Directing Backrooms
There are rare instances of an artist landing the opportunity to make a live-action adaptation of an animated project they created, but Kane Parsons is now one of those few. The YouTuber, also known as Kane Pixels, is helming Backrooms for A24 and, at just 20 years old, is the youngest director to ever collaborate with the company.
When speaking with Collider in 2025, Mark Duplass opened up about working with the first-time director on his big debut, saying that seeing the teenager work completely changed his point of view:
I have always fancied myself someone who loves to mentor young filmmakers and be around them, and I think that’s part of the reason why I got that gig was thinking, 'You know what? Kane is 19 and he’s directing a huge studio movie for the first time. It’d probably be good to have Mark around, who’s really good at mentoring people,' you know? And I was fully ready to do that, and got there, and I was like, 'This guy is so in charge and knows every detail down to the last thing.' He was so patient and good with the actors, with us. It was so impressive to watch him command that set in a lovely and humble way.
Handling screenwriting duties, however, are Robert Patino and Will Soodik, who are known for penning everything from Netflix’s Zero Day (which Stephen King thinks is “terrific”) to Ash vs the Evil Dead, as well as producing TV series like Westworld, Sons of Anarchy, and Homeland.
What Is Backrooms Rated?
While the MPA has yet to announce an official rating for Backrooms, there’s speculation the film will carry an R-rating, per The Direct. Again, nothing has been confirmed, but this makes it seem like Kane Parsons will be pushing things to the limit with the adaptation of his viral online video series. Expect more clarification in the coming weeks when it comes to the rating.
How Long Is The Backrooms Runtime?
There has been a lot of confusion about the Backrooms runtime in recent weeks, especially after an image shared on Reddit listed the length as 145 minutes, or 2 hours and 25 minutes. However, it appears that was a mistake, as the AMC Theatres page for the upcoming movie lists the runtime as 105 minutes, or 1 hour and 45 minutes, which seems like a more realistic length for the new horror flick.
How To Watch Backrooms Videos?
If you want to see what all the fuss is about with Backrooms without losing hours upon hours browsing old creepypasta sites until you’re too scared to go to sleep, you can watch Kane Parsons outstanding videos set there. The full collection of The Backrooms videos is on YouTube and allows you to take a (guided) tour of those corridors, rooms, and other spaces.
The popular animated web series, presented mostly in a found footage thriller style, is the direct inspiration for the forthcoming A24 horror movie. Just take our word for it and watch with the lights on…
You'd better be careful not to noclip out of reality any time soon, or you could miss out on what could be one of the best horror movies to come from A24 yet.
