The Backrooms Is A24's Most Anticipated Horror Movie of 2026 — Here's Everything We Know

The Backrooms Is A24's Most Anticipated Horror Movie of 2026 — Here's Everything We Know

If you've spent any time on YouTube, you've probably stumbled into the Backrooms. What started as a 2019 creepypasta post on 4chan — that infamous image of a yellow, fluorescent-lit office space that goes on forever — has evolved into one of the biggest internet horror phenomena of the decade. And now, A24 is bringing it to theaters in 2026.

From Kane Pixels to the Big Screen

The Backrooms movie has its roots in the incredible short films by creator Kane Parsons, known online as Kane Pixels. His series of found-footage videos on YouTube amassed tens of millions of views and caught the attention of A24, the studio behind horror hits like Hereditary, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Midsommar. Parsons, still in his early 20s, is directing the feature adaptation, making him one of the youngest directors to helm an A24 production.

The film reportedly expands on the lore established in Parsons' original videos — the idea that you can "noclip" out of reality into an infinite maze of empty office spaces. Think of it as a liminal space horror experience, where the terror doesn't come from monsters jumping out of closets but from the sheer, overwhelming emptiness of being trapped somewhere that was once familiar but now feels fundamentally wrong.

Why This Could Be the Horror Movie of the Year

A24 has built an unmatched reputation for elevated horror. With films like Talk to Me (2023) and Longlegs (2024) proving that original horror concepts can still draw massive audiences, The Backrooms is positioned perfectly. The internet-born IP already comes with a built-in fanbase, and the aesthetic — yellow walls, buzzing fluorescent lights, the smell of old carpet — taps into a universal feeling of unease that anyone who's wandered through an empty office building at night has experienced.

The film also benefits from the wider trend of internet-to-cinema adaptations. After the success of projects like Five Nights at Freddy's and the upcoming Poppy Playtime movie, studios are realizing that viral horror concepts have real box office potential. But A24 isn't making a cheap cash-grab — they're giving a young visionary the resources to make something genuinely terrifying.

With no major franchise competition in the horror space this summer, The Backrooms could easily become the defining scary movie of 2026. If you grew up watching Kane Pixels' videos at 2 AM with the lights off, this is going to be an experience.