From Internet Obscurity to A24: 19-Year-Old Behind Viral 'Backrooms' to Helm Big-Screen Horror Debut
YouTube horror hit makes leap from screen to scream.
At just 19, Kane Parsons has gone from filming unsettling corridors in his bedroom to directing his first feature for A24. The indie powerhouse has enlisted the teenage YouTube sensation to helm a big-screen adaptation of The Backrooms — a found-footage horror concept that began as a lo-fi short and swiftly mutated into an online phenomenon, racking up nearly 200 million views across platforms. With Roberto Patino (DMZ) penning the script and heavyweights Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve onboard to star, this is no longer just an internet fever dream.
Parsons, known for his eerie command of atmosphere and analog-style dread, first caught the attention of horror fans with his DIY videos that explored endless, empty spaces tinged with something not quite real — the so-called 'liminal spaces' of internet legend. The Backrooms tapped into a growing subculture obsessed with spaces that feel both familiar and wrong, and Parsons’ knack for found-footage tension made the short terrifyingly effective.
Though plot details for the film are being kept deliberately vague, the leap from low-budget YouTube horror to full-scale studio production is a significant one — and not without precedent. David F. Sandberg made a similar move in 2016 with Lights Out, but he was 35 at the time. Parsons, by contrast, is entering the arena as A24’s youngest-ever feature director, though he’ll be backed by an experienced creative team to help guide the transition from pixelated terror to theatrical release.
With recent success stories like RackaRacka’s Talk to Me, it’s clear that YouTube is no longer just a launchpad — it’s a proving ground. And with The Backrooms heading to the big screen, Parsons may be about to prove that digital-age nightmares can be just as effective when scaled up to cinema-sized proportions.
