‘The Backrooms’ Trailer: Renate Reinsve Lost in the Liminal Horrors of Kane Parsons’ Film
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Chiwetel Ejiofor also stars in this supernatural horror film, based on a famous 4chan creepypasta, which has now released its first full look. Fans of the novel House of Leaves may inadvertently experience a sense of dread and apprehension.
Following a vague and mysterious advertising campaign in which the film’s signature image was acid-yellow wallpaper in a mysterious office complex, The Backrooms finally received its first official full look on Tuesday.
A24 has released the trailer for The Backrooms, directed by YouTube creator Kane Parsons in his feature film debut. The film stars Oscar nominees Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This project follows Reinsve’s nomination for Best Actress in the film Emotional Value and marks her second collaboration with A24 after appearing in the 2024 film A Different Man.
Based on the released trailer, Ejiofor’s character encounters a strange portal in the basement of a furniture showroom—a gateway leading to an endless series of carpeted rooms and spaces that gradually swallows him whole.
The concept for the film originated from a 4chan creepypasta called “The Backrooms” in the late 2010s; a vast, fictional horror universe that fans could contribute to, utilizing video game terminology such as “noclip”—a cheat code that allows players to pass through walls and solid objects. Parsons then released realistic simulated “found footage” shorts on YouTube; these works inspired several computer games that expanded the online lore.
Renate Reinsve plays the therapist to Ejiofor’s character; it appears she must also enter the Backrooms and face the endless corridors and potentially malevolent entities. These first images of The Backrooms are reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski’s experimental and “unfilmable” novel House of Leaves—a story about a fictional found-footage film set in a house with endless passages explored by a group. Published in 2000, House of Leaves is essentially the original liminal horror story—revolving around transitional and isolated spaces adjacent to familiar ones—even though Danielewski has stated he will never allow his book to be adapted.
Returning to The Backrooms, the additional cast includes Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia. Will Soodik, a writer for the series Westworld, was brought on to pen the screenplay based on Parsons’ ideas. (The director is only 20 years old!)
The Backrooms is the latest example of the pipeline from YouTube creator to cinema; Markiplier saw significant success earlier this year with the self-released film Iron Lung.
The influential production team for The Backrooms includes James Wan, Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Osgood Perkins, Chris Ferguson, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Cory Adelson.
The Backrooms will be released in theaters on Friday, May 29.
