The internet age has seen a rebirth of urban legends, and the birth of creepypastas and SCPs, short-form horror stories designed to be retold with different intents, and many modern horror directors owe their careers to short films based off these public domain spooks. Now one of the best ever is being given the feature film treatment, thanks to James Wan and A24.
The Backrooms has been an internet sensation since the tale first originated in a 4chan creepy stories thread. The general premise is a seemingly endless maze-like room with no or minimal furniture, and an overwhelming uneasiness over the quietness. Known now as the “liminal spaces” horror trend, a short film adaptation is now being turned into a feature film.
17 year-old Kane Parsons released a seminal horror short film in Jan. 2022 titled The Backrooms, which has engulfed over 44 million viewers, and now, Hollywood. The concept of eerie, underpopulated areas usually depicted to be constantly bustling — schools, for example, or ‘70s-aesthetic offices — looks liminally perfect for an A24 feature.
According to Deadline, the adaptation is in the works with Wan’s Atomic Monster and perennial spook-loving studio A24. The Backrooms seems like a perfect meeting point for Wan’s marketable horror and A24’s “elevated” horror, which is currently in vogue.
The Backrooms will hope to avoid the fate the Slenderman legend has succumbed to, with the pale, faceless giant being utterly disrespected by movie studios. Given how vague and unsettling the original short is, it feels like it’s hard to screw up too much. Better yet, Parsons will direct the feature length version of his original, which looks set to launch a promising career.
The original short film is available to view on YouTube from Parsons’s channel, while no release window has been set for the A24 adaptation.
