The Scariest Found Footage Short Ever Made Is Becoming A Movie
The Backrooms, a scary series of horror shorts from a YouTube creator, is being adapted into a feature film.
Every 17-year-old that ever picked up a video camera and made a homemade horror movie wishes they were Kane Parsons, the young director and cinematographer of The Backrooms. The series of YouTube shorts has garnered enough notice to have attracted the attention of A24, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, Chernin Entertainment, and 21 Laps. Deadline reports that the four production companies are coming together to turn The Backrooms into a feature film, directed by Parsons from a script by Roberto Patino.
The short film, just over nine minutes long, tells the story of a young videographer who falls into another dimension during a shoot. It appears as an empty yellow office space, but may not be all that it seems as its young hero explores it and documents the experience on camera. The Backrooms (Found Footage) is the first of 16 videos that were updated as recently as last week in this strange alternate universe.
The plot of Roberto Pantino’s script is under wraps, but the series takes place in the 1990s and Parsons’ channel is an anthology that draws inspiration from a creepypasta of the same name. On his channel, Parsons uses the name “Kane Pixels” to display his talent. His channel has over 2 million followers and The Backrooms (Found Footage) has over 44 million views.
The Backrooms has a lot in common with other found footage horror anthologies such as V/H/S, the 2012 Bloody Disgusting director showcase that spawned four sequels and counting. Radio Silence, the production company behind the upcoming Scream VI, contributed a short to that anthology, as did Adam Wingard (Blair Witch, Godzilla vs. Kong), Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone), Gareth Evans (The Raid, The Raid: Redemption), and Ti West (X, Pearl). However, Kane Parsons’ anthology came from one director and will showcase separate stories from his own universe.
A24 has defined itself as a name in the horror industry with the success of movies like Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar, Robert Egger’s The VVitch and The Lighthouse, The Hole in the Ground from Evil Dead: Rise director Lee Cronin, and more. The studio will be co-financing The Backrooms alongside Chernin Entertainment. Their reputation in the genre offers a glimpse into how scary the movie could be and is like a seal of approval from the horror community.
James Wan is also a well-known name in horror, being the creative force behind Saw, The Conjuring and its spin-offs, Malignant, and the Aquaman franchise. His company, Atomic Monster, was behind the recent Blumhouse hit M3GAN, and is also involved in producing The Backrooms. As another name with a lot of weight in the horror community, James Wan’s attachment to the project speaks well of its young director.
Are horror fans about to see the next big name emerge? Kane Parsons is slated to direct The Backrooms but is only 17 years old, so the production schedule will have to plan around his school obligations. However, with a strong premise and a scary set of shorts, and now some big names behind him, Parsons may have set himself up for a long career in film.
