A24’s Backrooms capitalises on low-budget horror’s YouTube wave

A24 has released Backrooms, a horror film directed by Kane Parsons, who initially gained prominence through a series of YouTube shorts inspired by internet memes. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the movie adapts the popular online creepypasta concept of an extradimensional office maze that originated as a 4chan meme. The production reportedly cost $10 million to make and is projected to earn $45 million in its opening weekend, reflecting a wider trend of studios greenlighting low-budget horror projects from creators with established online followings.

Parsons, whose YouTube shorts began in 2022 and totalled 22 episodes, faced the challenge of balancing intricate lore for existing fans with a coherent narrative for general audiences. He noted that while longtime viewers might expect a deep dive into the Backrooms mythology, the theatrical release required a stronger narrative centre to resonate with those unfamiliar with his short-form work. The script was written by Will Soodik, and the film follows a furniture salesman who discovers a portal to the maze-like space beneath his failing store.

The decision by studios to back such projects is driven by the genre’s low production costs and high potential returns. Recent successes have demonstrated the viability of this model, with Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk to Me making just under $92 million against a $4.5 million budget, and Mark Fischbach’s Iron Lung netting $50 million. Other low-budget horror successes include Ti West’s X series, Longlegs, and Weapons, indicating that audiences continue to flock to the genre despite limited budgets.

Parsons emphasised the need to avoid overwhelming viewers with all the various biomes seen in his series, aiming instead to replicate the success of his first short. He acknowledged that independently developed projects can sometimes become too contrived or dense for newcomers, a risk exacerbated when creators let online engagement influence their storytelling. Parsons cited his previous subscription to channels like The Film Theorists as influencing his understanding of how intense fan analysis can create unhealthy feedback loops.

While Parsons believes YouTube remains a vital platform for discovering talent, he warned against the blind optimism that everyone can be a filmmaker simply by owning a phone. He noted that the YouTube algorithm is increasingly botted, atomized, and not user-friendly, with about 50 percent of internet traffic now non-human. Despite these challenges, he maintains that the platform allows aspiring artists to hone their craft, though he cautions that the environment is becoming less favourable for creators seeking organic discovery.