TL;DR
- A24 has released a new trailer for Backrooms
- Directed by Kane Parsons, based on his viral YouTube series
- Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve
- Leans heavily into found-footage and liminal horror aesthetics
- Hits theaters May 29, 2026
A24’s ‘Backrooms’ Trailer Turns Internet Horror Into a Full-Blown Nightmare
A24 just dropped a new trailer for Backrooms, and it’s already being called one of the most unsettling horror previews of the year.
Taking a concept born from internet creepypasta and viral YouTube videos, the film looks like it’s about to bring one of the most uniquely modern horror ideas to the big screen—with all the dread intact.
The trailer throws viewers straight into the chaos of the “Backrooms”—an endless maze of yellow-tinted rooms, flickering fluorescent lights, and eerily familiar spaces that feel just slightly… wrong.
At the center of the story is a therapist who ventures into this strange dimension after a patient disappears, only to realize the environment is far more dangerous than it first appears.
As the trailer unfolds, the tension builds through distorted audio, found-footage-style shots, and glimpses of something lurking just out of sight.
Why Does It Feel So Disturbing?
Because it taps into a very specific kind of fear: liminal horror.
The Backrooms concept—originating from internet forums and later popularized on YouTube—focuses on spaces that feel familiar but empty, endless, and wrong. Think abandoned offices, empty hallways, and places that shouldn’t exist.
The trailer leans fully into that idea, using analog-style footage and minimal exposition to create unease rather than explain it.
Instead of jump scares, it’s the absence of normalcy that does the work.
Who’s Behind the Movie?
The film is directed by Kane Parsons, the same creator who made the original Backrooms videos go viral online.
This marks a rare jump from internet creator to major studio director—and early reactions suggest he’s kept the raw, unsettling tone that made the original series so effective.
The cast includes:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Renate Reinsve
- Mark Duplass
Their presence adds serious weight to a concept that could’ve easily stayed niche.
How Does It Compare to the Original Backrooms Lore?
Surprisingly faithful.
While the film introduces a more structured narrative, the trailer shows it still embraces the found-footage roots and ambiguity that defined the original videos.
That balance—between mainstream storytelling and internet-born weirdness—is what could set Backrooms apart from other horror adaptations.
When Is Backrooms Releasing?
Backrooms is set to hit theaters on May 29, 2026, positioning it as one of A24’s biggest horror releases of the year.
With buzz already building around the trailer, it’s shaping up to be a major moment for both horror fans and internet culture alike.
Why This Movie Actually Matters
This isn’t just another horror movie—it’s a sign of where horror is going.
Backrooms represents a shift where internet-born ideas are becoming cinematic events, without losing what made them scary in the first place.
And if this trailer is anything to go by, A24 didn’t try to “fix” the concept—they leaned into its weirdness.
