Backrooms 2 Creeps Closer as Director Teases the Next Nightmare
Backrooms is barely out of the maze and director Kane Parsons is already hinting at a sequel. With A24’s analog-horror hit packing U.S. theaters and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve front and center, the tease of Backrooms 2 suggests this creepypasta nightmare is just getting started.
If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s a good creepypasta that refuses to die – and 'Backrooms' is the latest to leap from YouTube liminal nightmare fuel to genuine box office gold. Director Kane Parsons (yes, the chap who started all this with his eery YouTube videos) has done rather well for himself, with 'Backrooms' raking in a hefty $81 million from the US alone this weekend. Take the whole globe into account, and we’re already at $118 million. Not what you might expect from a film inspired by the idea that if you clip through the wrong bit of reality, you’ll end up in a liminal office building with permanently dodgy lighting and monsters lurking just out of sight.
This A24 release stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, which is a casting combination you don’t see every day. Now, thanks to the runaway success, the big question online is: will there be a 'Backrooms 2'?
So, What’s Parsons Actually Saying?
Variety pressed Parsons about sequels and plans, since it’s rare for a film based on YouTube lore to land this sort of box office run. If you’re picturing him triumphantly announcing a huge franchise and quitting the day job, think again. Here’s the shape of his answer:
'I don’t want to leave YouTube behind. I enjoy doing things there, and some things just work better in that sort of wild-west online format. But this film has made it clear there’s more to do. Backrooms was always designed as something bigger than just a single movie. If anything, this is just a toe in the water for where the overall story can go… I’ve got a contract, and there is more cooking as we speak, but it’s all still under wraps for now.'
To sum up: Parsons still feels at home in the anarchy of online media, but he also reckons 'Backrooms' has properly opened the door to pursue his ever-weirder narrative ideas on a much bigger stage. He’s clearly got more up his sleeve – apparently, a contract is already in place and the next moves are being mapped out, but he’s keeping details very much under lock and key for now.
'Backrooms' So Far
- Box Office: $81 million in the US, $118 million globally after the opening weekend
- Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve
- Origin: Based on Kane Parsons’ viral YouTube web series, itself a riff on the “Backrooms” online urban legend
- A24 Factor: Because of course A24 swooped in for something this weird (and now, wildly profitable)
- Sequel Status: Highly teased, not officially greenlit, but Parsons says the narrative was always meant to go way beyond one feature
If you’ve been following the web series for years, this is the first big move from online fever dream to proper film franchise territory. Parsons doesn’t sound remotely done with these yellow-lit corridors.