A24 has released the first trailer for its upcoming horror film The Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, better known online as Kane Pixels. The film adapts the viral creepypasta concept of liminal spaces—endless, empty office corridors that evoke deep unease—and pairs it with A24's signature atmospheric horror style. Starring Oscar winner Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cannes favorite Renate Reinsve, the movie marks a major leap from Parsons' YouTube origins, where his original Backrooms shorts, made using Blender, have collectively drawn tens of millions of views. His first major project in live action, the film expands on the eerie, slow-burn tension that defined his digital work, including his horror series The Oldest Room. The trailer leans heavily into unsettling visuals and ambient dread, avoiding jump scares in favor of psychological discomfort. Parsons is not the only online creator transitioning to film this year—YouTuber Markiplier independently funded the theatrical release of his horror film Iron Lung, based on the indie game of the same name. The Backrooms also joins Genki Kawamura's Exit 8, another horror film inspired by liminal space aesthetics, though Parsons' project allows more narrative freedom than the game-locked structure of its counterpart.
When a 20-year-old who built a following on YouTube horror shorts lands a film deal with A24 and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, that means credibility has officially shifted from traditional pipelines to digital-native creators. Parsons didn't wait for Hollywood to discover him—he built his audience, honed his craft in Blender, and weaponized internet dread into a cinematic language. This isn't just a win for online creators; it proves that the next generation of filmmakers might not come from film schools, but from the corners of YouTube and 4chan. For Nigerian creators experimenting with low-budget digital horror or surreal storytelling, the path is now visibly open—no studio backing, no formal training, just vision and virality.
