The Misremembered ’90s of “The Backrooms”

The Backrooms Film Adaptation Explores Internet-Origin Liminal Spaces

A 2026 theatrical release from A24 adapts an online phenomenon that began with a single photograph and expanded through collaborative storytelling on internet forums.

In 2019, an image circulated on social media platforms showing an empty hallway illuminated by fluorescent lights. The photograph depicted the interior of a Wisconsin furniture store during renovation work completed in 2003. It was first shared anonymously on the /x/ board of the site 4chan in response to a request for images that appeared unusual. One participant in the thread labeled the depicted space the Backrooms and described it as an expanse of segmented empty rooms. The post contributed to the spread of an online aesthetic known as liminal spaces.

The image and associated descriptions prompted the creation of additional stories, images, and videos across multiple platforms. Kane Parsons, then 16 years old, produced a series of short films posted to YouTube in 2022 that expanded on the setting. The films received attention from the production company A24, which provided resources for a feature-length version released in theaters in spring 2026. The project originated from material already available in public online spaces rather than from existing intellectual property controlled by a studio.

The feature film centers on a character named Clark, a former architect employed at a discount furniture store located in a California strip mall. After being asked to leave his residence, Clark begins sleeping at the store. Elevated utility costs and unexplained sounds lead him to examine the basement, where he moves through a wall into an extended interior environment. The production design for this environment consists of interconnected rooms finished in yellow tones, containing objects that deviate from standard proportions or appear combined in atypical ways. Staircases terminate without destination points, and wall surfaces transition into other forms. The space is presented as potentially without fixed boundaries. Additional narrative elements involve entities within the environment.

A secondary storyline follows a therapist named Mary, whose background includes an upbringing with a parent who avoided leaving home and accumulated possessions. Mary receives an unclear communication from Clark that directs her into the same interior space. The plot resolves with an encounter between the two characters and a representation of Clark altered in form. The film also incorporates a monitoring operation conducted by a fictional entity named Async that investigates the space after an initial discovery.

The production incorporates visual techniques that reference older video recording formats while applying spatial rules drawn from digital environments, including the capacity for characters to pass through solid surfaces. Color choices include muted teal and pink tones, along with interior elements such as carpeted floors and furniture styles associated with earlier decades. These elements are presented through a sequence of visual references rather than direct documentation of specific historical locations.

The film records box-office figures that exceeded prior records for its distributor in the period following release. Parsons, who handled visual effects work prior to the feature, directed the project at age 21. The narrative structure addresses multiple interpretive possibilities for the central setting without selecting a single explanation within the runtime.

Architectural descriptions in the film draw from common commercial interiors of the late twentieth century, including retail corridors and service areas. The source photograph originated from a documented commercial renovation rather than a constructed set. Online discussions that followed the initial 4chan thread generated additional images and text entries that contributed to the development of the concept used in the films. The A24 production maintains the modular quality of the original descriptions while adding narrative connections among characters and the monitoring organization.

The release occurred during a period when multiple films drew from online source material. Parsons has discussed in interviews the process of translating static images into moving sequences and the technical methods used to construct the interior sets. The final cut runs approximately two hours and includes both practical set construction and digital extensions of the environment.