Creepypasta YouTube series to become an A24 horror movie directed by a 17-year-old

YouTube series The Backrooms, based on an internet creepypasta, is set to become an A24 horror movie – and it'll be directed by its 17-year-old creator Kane Parsons. James Wan and Shawn Levy will produce via their respective production companies.

According to IndieWire, the movie will film during Parson's summer vacation, with a script from Roberto Patino, who also executive produces.

The original Backrooms video is a found footage style short set in 1996. An unknown cameraperson explores eerily lit empty rooms and corridors for the 9-minute runtime, as the suspense builds and builds – and something unnatural can be glimpsed. You can check out the video below (but watch with the lights on).

Parsons has expanded the mythology of his short with multiple videos posted to his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels. Each has collected millions of views.

The Backrooms began as an internet creepypasta in 2019, based on the idea of accidentally phasing out of reality into a network of empty rooms – but you're not alone, with an ominous, unnamed threat also in the labyrinth with you.

No plot details have been released about the movie just yet, but it seems safe to assume that the feature-length movie will be another found footage horror flick. How the project might evolve from there is a mystery for now, though. But, with A24 and Wan involved, we can be sure that the end product will be seriously creepy, and, with Parsons remaining at the helm, the film will surely be true to the original.

While you wait for The Backrooms movie to arrive, check out our roundup of the best horror movies ever to scare yourself silly.

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I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.