New to The Backrooms
What are the Backrooms?
The Backrooms are an alternate reality just outside of our own. They consist of indoor spaces commonly seen in our world such as hallways, rooms, offices and the like. These places are usually empty and are mostly depicted as being yellow in color – the walls are covered in wallpaper, fluorescent lights hum loudly overhead, carpet is damp, rooms and walls are often randomly placed, and the areas appear to go on forever.
Where did the Backrooms originate?
The Backrooms concept originated in May 2019 when a user posted an image of a yellow office-type area prompting people to share other images that “felt off” on the anonymous message board 4chan. A text post was made in reply to this image that described a place called “The Backrooms”.
This post (also referred to as a creepypasta) has since inspired many people to create their own interpretations and stories based around the Backrooms concept, one of the most popular being the Kane Pixels Universe of which the movie is based on.
Who is Kane Parsons?
Kane Parsons (known as Kane Pixels online) is a YouTube film-maker who directed his first feature film (Backrooms) at the age of 20. Considered to be one of the youngest directors in Hollywood history, Kane was given a deal by A24 in 2023 when he was 17, with the Backrooms movie being greenlit by the studio in 2025 when he was 19.
I want to find out more before I watch the movie, is there anything I can watch first?
Definitely! If you want to delve more into the universe that the Backrooms movie will be set in, we highly recommend you watch his Backrooms series on YouTube. If you don’t want to watch the entire series, then we recommend watching the first video in the series, The Backrooms (Found Footage) which also went viral when it was released in 2022.
Are the Backrooms real?
The Backrooms the movie is based on aren’t real. These are a fictional reality and universe created by Kane Parsons based on the Backrooms concept.
However, some people may find the kinds of spaces that make up the Backrooms as being familiar, nostalgic, or they may evoke long-lost (often childhood) memories. Some find them unsettling and uncomfortable, while others find them to be calm and comforting. These spaces are called liminal spaces which can be defined as a place between states or a place of transition that we usually only pass through. Think of a place that is usually busy such as a mall, an airport or an office building – it becomes liminal when it is empty. This can make it seem like something isn’t right about the place, often referred to as the uncanny valley effect.
Familiar with The Backrooms
Which Backrooms lore is the movie based on?
The Backrooms movie will be completely set in the universe of Kane Pixels Backrooms series. This also means that it will not include things from the Extended Lore of the wikis (see following FAQs). If you are unfamiliar with Kane Pixels version of the Backrooms and want to find out more, we highly recommend you take a look at the videos on his YouTube channel.
Will the be multiple levels?
As multiple levels are a concept form the Extended Lore, they would not be included in the movie. Therefore we won’t see any of the popular levels such as Level Fun, The End, The Poolrooms, Level 94, etc. Please be aware that there is a lot of misinformation about this going around online, so do not believe everything you see!
We do however know that there will be different areas in the movie as we have seen a red area with a Christmas tree as well as a pool area in the trailer. However we do not know how frequent or common these areas will be. These differ to levels in that they are more like changes in the environment, or biomes. Think of them like when you are walking in a suburban area and then you come across a park. However in the context of the Backrooms, these would be indoor spaces.
In Kane’s Backrooms series we do see some of these different areas such as an office area, places based on famous liminal photos, and the already mentioned area with a swimming pool (note that this is not related to the Poolrooms at all from the Extended Lore, instead Kane has mentioned that it came to him in a dream).
What about Level 0?
We will see an area that is very similar to Level 0 because like Level 0, it is based on the original Backrooms photo. In Kane Pixels Backrooms, this area is called The Complex (although The Complex is also used to refer to the Backrooms as a whole regardless of what it looks like).
And while there are some similarities – the yellow walls, fluorescent lighting, and maze-like liminal spaces – there are also differences as well. One of these is that that multiple people can interact with each other in this area, unlike Level 0 where interaction with others isn’t possible. Another difference is that based on the trailer, the area can be entered and exited at a fixed location..
Will there be monsters?
Although this hasn’t been confirmed, it is very likely that there will be at least one monster in the movie. This is based on that there are monsters in Kane Pixels YouTube series. Further to this, the monsters in his YouTube series are very uncommon (so don’t expect frequent appearances). Like the original text that the Backrooms is based on, Kane’s Backrooms play heavily on the fear of not knowing what is out there, but once it is realized the survival instinct kicks in.
What monsters will we see?
So far there have only been two monsters (referred to as “Lifeforms”) ever to have appeared in Kane’s Backrooms series – those are “Bacteria” and “Still Life”. We do not know if these will be in the movie. Kane may also have chosen to create an entirely new creature for the movie, but this is currently unknown.
What we can tell you is that monsters (or entities) from the Extended Lore will not be included. So don’t expect to see any Smilers, Partygoers, Skin Stealers, Facelings, Deathmoths or even our favorite lovable entities, the Blub Cats. Like with levels, there is also a lot of misinformation out there about this.
Will Async be in the movie?
The trailer confirms that Async will be in the movie as we see three people in hazmat suits. However, the extent of their involvement is not known. Kane previously has said that while Async will be in the movie, they will not be the main focus of it. So expect to see them make an appearance and even be part of the storyline, but as a more secondary role.
Movie Release
When is the movie releasing in my area?
The movie is releasing worldwide with the earliest date being in Italy on May 27. Release dates vary from country to country, so check the release dates page.
Why isn’t my country listed?
We update the list weekly, so keep checking back as your country may be added. If you don’t see your country there, it means that no official information has been provided as yet (we post dates if they have been provided by reputable sources such as local distributors and cinemas, we generally don’t post dates if they are on IMDB only as information on there can at times be inaccurate).
Where will it be shown?
The movie will initially be shown in cinemas worldwide. Check with your local cinema to see if they are showing the movie.
Once the cinema run has concluded, the movie will be streamed on HBO Max (A24 has an agreement with this streaming service to show their movies). A Blu-ray/DVD release is also expected (not confirmed but based on previous A24 releases). We are also hoping it will be released on video cassette as A24 have done this in the past for one of their movies, “I Saw the TV Glow”.
How can I get tickets?
A24’s official Backrooms website – backrooms.mov – lists cinemas in your local area where you can buy tickets. If you don’t see anything on there, check your local cinema’s website or visit them in person to see if they have started pre-sales yet. Not all cinemas sell tickets well in advance, so you might have to wait until nearer to the release date.
What can I do if my local cinema doesn’t look like they are showing it?
Ask them! They may not realize how much interest there is in the Backrooms movie, so let them know either in person (speaking to a manager is best if you can) or by email. Some cinemas also have feedback forms on their website where you can request a movie to be shown. And while there is no guarantee that they will actually show it, if enough people request it, it just might happen (so get your friends, family and random acquaintances to request it too!).
Will there be cinema merchandise available?
At this time it is not known if any cinema merchandise will be available such as a popcorn bucket or cup.
A24 have released these for some of their more popular movies in the past, and as Backrooms is looking to be one of their biggest movies, it is very likely we will see something (but not guaranteed of course). These things aren’t usually revealed until closer to the release date, so keep an eye on our main page or our socials. As soon as we find out, we’ll be posting about them!
Will there be other merchandise available?
Currently two pieces of official merchandise have been released – an adhesive poster and a Cap’n Clark’s T-Shirt. Both of these can be purchased through the A24 online store here.
Based on other A24 movies, they tend to release merchandise for many of their movies which often can include some very unique items! They also sometimes do collabs with other companies (we’re lowkey hoping for a collab with a wallpaper company!). Official A24 merchandise is generally only sold through their online store or through their collab partners. As soon as we hear of any new merch, we’ll definitely post about it on here and on our socials.
