A viral internet horror story is officially making its way to theaters. The Backrooms, a creepy online concept that spread across YouTube, Reddit, and other forums, is being turned into a movie set to release on May 29, 2026. The film is already gaining attention online, especially from people who remember the original videos and lore.
The movie is directed by Kane Parsons, the creator behind the viral Backrooms found-footage series on YouTube. Parsons first uploaded a Backrooms video in 2022, and it quickly went viral. The realistic camera style and strange setting made the video feel unsettling, which helped the series grow a huge audience online.
The Backrooms concept first appeared in 2019 as an online creepypasta post. The idea describes a strange dimension someone could enter by “no-clipping” out of reality. The term comes from video games and refers to glitching through walls or objects. In the Backrooms story, no-clipping leads to a massive maze of identical rooms that seem to go on forever. According to the lore, the Backrooms are filled with buzzing fluorescent lights, yellow wallpaper, and damp carpet. The environment looks like an empty office building, but the endless layout makes it feel eerie. Over time, internet communities expanded the story by creating different “levels,” each with new environments and mysterious entities that could be hiding somewhere in the maze.
The first teaser for the film released earlier this year and immediately caught fans’ attention. The short clip shows empty hallways and dimly lit rooms that look very similar to the ones in the original videos. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia.
Students familiar with the Backrooms say the concept works because it feels different from usual horror movies.
“I remember seeing the videos online a while ago,” junior Janelle Fiamordzi said. “They were simple, but still really creepy.”
Senior Venice Nevine Velayo said, “The setting is what makes it interesting. It’s basically just empty rooms, but it still feels scary for some reason.”
Unlike many horror films, The Backrooms did not begin as a book or traditional story. Instead, the idea developed online as people added new theories, levels, and details to the lore. Now the strange internet creepypasta is becoming a full movie. If the film keeps the same eerie atmosphere as the viral videos, The Backrooms could end up being one of the most unique horror movies released in 2026.
