Some films do more than tell a story; they capture the spirit of the era that produced them. The Backrooms is precisely that kind of film. What began as an anonymous image shared on an internet forum evolved through the collective imagination of millions before eventually finding its way to the cinema under the banner of A24. As such, it stands as a fascinating case study in understanding how cultural production functions in the digital age.

Throughout the history of cinema, horror has served as a mirror for society’s anxieties. Gothic castles, abandoned houses, dark forests, and desolate towns long functioned as landscapes of the unknown. Yet the fears of the twenty-first century are different. In a world that is constantly connected, constantly online, and constantly mediated, the feeling of being lost has become less physical and more psychological. The Backrooms embodies this new form of fear.

At the center of the film lies the concept of the “Backrooms,” one of the most compelling examples of internet folklore. Yellow walls, the endless hum of fluorescent lights, and corridors stretching infinitely in every direction. At first glance, these spaces appear entirely ordinary. Yet through repetition, they begin to erode our sense of reality. The familiar becomes unfamiliar, transforming into the film’s primary source of tension. The audience is not confronted by a monster, but by the space itself.

This is where Kane Parsons’ storytelling comes into play. Still in his early twenties, Parsons did not enter the film industry through conventional routes. His cinematic language was shaped less by film schools than by YouTube videos, game engines, visual effects software, and the aesthetics of the internet. This alone positions The Backrooms in a unique place within contemporary horror cinema.

Parsons’ camera refuses the comfort of traditional Hollywood storytelling. Long takes that disorient the viewer, compositions that amplify feelings of emptiness, and perspectives that obscure the scale of the environment all contribute to the film’s visual language. The director understands that horror often emerges not from what is shown, but from what remains unseen. As a result, the film’s central threat is never fully revealed.

One of the film’s most notable achievements is its ability to translate an internet-born concept into cinematic form. In recent years, many productions have attempted to draw inspiration from digital culture, yet most have merely transformed internet phenomena into consumable content. The Backrooms, by contrast, is one of the rare examples that genuinely seeks to understand the mythology from which it emerged. Rather than functioning as a simple meme adaptation, the film can be read as a reflection on the subconscious of the digital age.

The role of “liminal space” aesthetics is particularly significant here. The empty school hallways, abandoned shopping malls, and unused office floors that internet users have shared for years become more than mere settings; they form the foundation of the narrative itself. These spaces evoke a sense of memory while simultaneously generating profound unease. Familiar yet impossible to belong to, they make visible the existential loneliness of contemporary life.

A24’s involvement in the project feels equally fitting. Over the past decade, the studio has helped transform horror from a genre concerned solely with frightening audiences into a space for aesthetic and intellectual exploration. With The Backrooms, A24 turns its attention to the anxieties of the internet generation. The film exists at the intersection of independent cinema and digital culture.

Perhaps this is where The Backrooms derives its greatest significance. It demonstrates that the internet is not merely a place where content is consumed, but a cultural ecosystem capable of producing new mythologies, new forms of storytelling, and new generations of filmmakers. Kane Parsons’ rise is a tangible example of this transformation. The fact that a young creator who was making horror videos on his computer only a few years ago is now directing a feature film within the studio system speaks volumes about the changing dynamics of the film industry.

The Backrooms may not be a flawless film. Yet its ability to capture contemporary anxieties, its cinematography that transforms space into a character of its own, and its willingness to take internet culture seriously make it one of the most intriguing horror projects of recent years. More importantly, it reminds us that the future of cinema may emerge not only from film schools, but sometimes from a YouTube channel, a forum post, or an anonymous image shared somewhere on the internet.

Arts & Culture