YouTuber Kane Parsons To Direct Feature-Length 'Backrooms' Movie For A24

A teenager who made a name for himself online with a series of eerie, lo-fi horror videos is about to step into the world of Hollywood filmmaking. Kane Parsons, a 19-year-old YouTuber best known for creating the viral horror series 'The Backrooms', has been signed by A24 to direct a feature-length version of the unsettling concept. This move makes Kane the youngest person ever to direct a film for the well-known indie film studio.

Filming is due to begin this summer, with actors Chiwetel Ejiofor - best known for his Oscar-nominated role in '12 Years a Slave' - and Renate Reinsve, star of 'The Worst Person in the World', cast in the lead roles. While Kane is new to large-scale productions, he won't be doing it alone. He'll be supported by an experienced production team, including screenwriter Roberto Patino, whose past work includes the post-apocalyptic TV series 'DMZ'.

'The Backrooms' started life not on YouTube, but in the strange and often surreal corners of the internet. In 2019, someone posted a photo on 4chan - a controversial online imageboard - showing a seemingly endless office-like corridor with yellowed walls and humming fluorescent lights. It looked familiar, but wrong. Another user replied with a short story about being trapped in this strange place - a sort of endless maze where escape seemed impossible. That simple post sparked an entire internet mythos.

From there, 'The Backrooms' grew into an ever-expanding fictional universe. Fans created their own levels, rules, and survival stories. It became part of what's known as "creepypasta" - short horror stories or concepts shared online. Kane took that concept and turned it into something more visual. His YouTube channel features short, found-footage-style videos that portray people becoming trapped in this dreamlike, yet sinister space. The videos are grainy and unsettling, giving the impression of amateur footage that's accidentally captured something it shouldn't have.

Kane's videos gained millions of views and a cult following thanks to their disturbing atmosphere and clever use of low-budget effects. Now, A24 is giving him the chance to bring that same mood to a full-length feature film. The story is expected to explore the idea of alternate dimensions - specifically the notion of slipping out of our own world and into a space that looks a bit like ours, but feels completely wrong.

While the exact plot of the film hasn't been revealed, fans expect it to stay true to the themes Kane established in his online series - a focus on liminal spaces, disorientation, and the creeping fear that you might never find a way back out.

Kane isn't the first online filmmaker to be snapped up by a major studio. In recent years, there's been a noticeable trend of YouTubers making the leap to professional filmmaking. Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou - better known for their chaotic YouTube channel RackaRacka - directed the supernatural horror hit 'Talk to Me', also released by A24. And Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg turned his short horror video 'Lights Out' into a Hollywood movie, which eventually led him to direct big-budget superhero films like 'Shazam!'

If Kane Parsons can capture the eerie brilliance of his YouTube videos in a full-length format, 'The Backrooms' could well be the next breakout horror film to come from the online world.