Overview
- Parsons, 20, directed Backrooms as his feature debut and is the youngest filmmaker to work with A24, moving from a viral YouTube series to a studio release.
- The film opens Friday, May 29, 2026, and early critical screenings have highlighted its unsettling liminal atmosphere and strong technical work in production design, cinematography and sound.
- Cast members and producers publicly rejected online claims that Parsons was 'ghost directed,' with actor Mark Duplass saying Parsons was clearly in charge on set.
- Backrooms was built from extensive physical sets mapped in 3D by Parsons and reported as roughly 30,000 square feet across multiple sound stages, with producers including James Wan and Osgood Perkins.
- Critics praised the movie’s mood and craft while noting the challenge of adapting sprawling online lore to a single narrative, and industry coverage says current tracking positions the film for a modestly profitable opening.