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Kane Parsons Recalls ‘Backrooms’ Trailer “Activated a Desire to See: How Did Hollywood Mess This Up?”
Kane Parsons said the success of A24’s Backrooms shows that young audiences remain eager to visit cinemas when offered fresh ideas rooted in online culture. Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival Summit, he argued that the film should not be confined to the horror label and that its appeal came partly from an established but decentralised YouTube phenomenon being adapted for the big screen.
The film, starring Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor, reportedly earned $401 million worldwide after its May release. Parsons said the trailer prompted viewers familiar with his YouTube series to wonder whether Hollywood had mishandled the concept, while Academy CEO Bill Kramer said the film demonstrated a stronger connection between YouTube audiences and theatrical cinema. Both also challenged the assumption that younger people naturally prefer short-form content, arguing that algorithm-driven consumption does not necessarily reflect their genuine preferences.
In short
- Backrooms became a major global box-office success.
- Its online origins helped attract younger cinema audiences.
- Parsons rejects simplistic assumptions about short-form viewing habits.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Defenders of the adaptation point to its $401 million global success and the trailer's ability to activate genuine desire amongst both original enthusiasts and new audiences as evidence that Hollywood captured what made the Backrooms resonate. The film, they argue, successfully brought the concept's essential appeal—the uncanny exploration of liminal spaces—to the screen with cinematic scale and professional execution that enhanced rather than compromised the source material. From this perspective, commercial success indicates authentic audience satisfaction.
The case against
Critics contend that commercial success does not necessarily validate adaptation choices, particularly when the original phenomenon thrived on decentralised, crowdsourced, participatory elements fundamentally at odds with traditional narrative cinema. Translating the Backrooms' creepypasta aesthetic into a structured film with named protagonists, linear plot, and narrative resolution may have sacrificed the appeal that made it distinctive—the collaborative, organic uncanniness of an evolving shared narrative—for polished professional spectacle. The fact that fans themselves wondered whether Hollywood had mishandled the concept suggests the adaptation, however commercially successful, may have lost something essential to the original's core.
Explained simply
The Backrooms started as an internet concept created by Kane Parsons, presented in a YouTube series exploring a fictional eerie, maze-like environment that appears to exist in the gaps between physical spaces. The premise built a following, particularly amongst younger audiences who engaged with the creative content online.
A24 adapted this internet phenomenon into a theatrical film, released in May, which stars Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film earned $401 million worldwide, marking a substantial commercial success for an adaptation of online cultural content.
The success raises questions about younger audiences' relationship with cinema. Whilst some observers assume young people primarily prefer streaming and short-form online content, the film's performance suggests there is genuine appetite for theatrical experiences when offered fresh and innovative ideas rooted in internet culture.
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