The full trailer for A24’s The Backrooms has arrived, and it pushes the internet-born creepypasta into a slick, unsettling feature that matters: it signals a new wave of online creators moving into prestige horror and gives audiences a very specific kind of dread to watch for when the film hits theaters on May 29, 2026.
What the trailer shows — and who’s involved
The footage leans heavily into the VHS/found-footage vibe that made the original web shorts viral: low-fi camcorder clips, buzzing fluorescent lighting and endless, sickly yellow rooms. The official logline is simple: “A therapist ventures into an otherworldly dimension in search of her missing patient.”
Leading the cast is Oscar winner Chiwetel Ejiofor opposite Renate Reinsve, with Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell and Avan Jogia in supporting roles. Kane Parsons — the 20-year-old director who rose to fame as Kane Pixels — adapted his online work into this feature. Writers Robert Patino and Will Soodik (both with Westworld credits) scripted the project, while producers include James Wan and Osgood Perkins.
From creepypasta and viral images to a studio release
The film traces its roots to internet lore: creepypasta stories about liminal spaces and a widely shared photo of an empty, yellowed retail backroom that circulated in 2019. Parsons’ original Backrooms shorts — made in Blender and later expanded with live-action pieces like The Oldest Room — helped build a fandom: one of his early web episodes has racked up more than 73 million YouTube views.
That pedigree shows in the trailer’s design choices, which prioritize the unnerving banality of endless office-like corridors and the claustrophobic logic of maze-like interiors.
Why this matters now
A24’s backing gives the project a prestige platform after the studio’s string of critically noticed horror films. The move also fits a recent pattern: internet creators and gaming personalities translating viral formats into theatrical releases (a notable parallel this year is Markiplier’s Iron Lung effort). For Parsons, The Backrooms represents a swift jump from short-form internet horror to a high-profile studio release.
Reaction and expectations
Early reactions to the trailer call it genuinely creepy — with particular praise for the found-footage inserts and for how A24 retains the liminal aesthetic instead of polishing it away. Critics and fans are already comparing The Backrooms to other liminal-space films on the horizon, such as NEON’s Exit 8, and debating how each will turn online concepts into narrative cinema.
- Release date: May 29, 2026 (theatrical)
- Director: Kane Parsons (Kane Pixels)
- Key cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass
- Writers: Robert Patino, Will Soodik
What to look for next
Expect more clips, international festival dates and early reviews as the release approaches. If the trailer is any guide, The Backrooms will be less about jump scares and more about prolonged unease — the type of film that lingers long after lights go up.