Kane Parsons, 20, directed the horror film Backrooms, produced by A24 with a budget around $10 million[citation needed] [1, 2, 3, 4]. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, Renate Reinsve as Mary, and Finn Bennett as Bobby [1, 4].
Backrooms centers on Clark, who discovers a portal to a surreal liminal space filled with endless rooms and hostile creatures [1, 2]. The movie’s eerie setting features symbolic elements like seagulls and dead birds, which Parsons said were intentionally evocative but open to interpretation [2]. Parsons said, “Birds evoke a certain kind of imagery that we wanted to be evoking… logically, literally anything that could walk through a wall could end up in that place.” [2]
Parsons initially gained prominence in 2022 with a viral YouTube short titled The Backrooms, which A24 recruited him to develop into a feature film in 2023 [3, 4]. Despite involvement from high-profile producers James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins, actor Mark Duplass defended Parsons against social media rumors that Parsons did not direct the film. Duplass said, “When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age,” adding Parsons was “intensely prepared” and “didn’t need” help from producers [3, 4].
Parsons himself addressed the rumors with humor, stating, “This is actually all true. They don’t tell you this, but 96 percent of all movies released in North America and Europe are actually directed by the same person. They call him ‘The Older Gentleman.’ He has had all of Hollywood in a chokehold for decades now.” [3]
The film has received positive early reviews, including an 8 out of 10 score from IGN, praising its visuals and characterization [3]. Parsons said he prefers audiences to interpret his work freely, cautious about overexplaining: “I swear I don't want that to seem like a cop-out. It's just, my audience loves to defer to my word over their own interpretations.” [1]
Backrooms was released before May 30 with expectations for a strong opening weekend at the box office [2, 3]. On May 26, Duplass publicly defended Parsons on social media, reaffirming his directorial role amid the ghost director rumors [4].
