Backrooms, sometimes referred to as Kane Pixels' Backrooms to distinguish it from the urban legend as a whole, is a semi-anthologicalweb series created by American YouTuber and filmmaker Kane Parsons. It is loosely based on the Backrooms urban legend. The series debuted in 2022 with the short film "The Backrooms (Found Footage)" which has over 62 million views as of October 2024. Parsons would expand his series to include nineteen more short films. The series is slated for a film adaptation with Parsons set to direct, alongside A24 producing. In January 2023, the series entered a hiatus that lasted until a new episode premiered in September 2024.
The series primarily revolves around Async, a fictional research institute that discovers the Backrooms (in-universe referred to as "the Complex") and attempts to document and research it.
Premise
Set primarily in the 1990s, the series revolves around Async, a fictional research institute that discovers the Backrooms (in-universe referred to as “the Complex”) and attempts to document and research it. Following this discovery, missing persons cases begin to skyrocket. Most installments are centered around various anomalies Async comes across in the Complex.
Development and themes
After making several Attack on Titan themed videos, Parsons was looking for "new things to do". He was in between projects and was inspired to create a found-footage style animation of the Backrooms after rediscovering a render he had saved some time prior. Parsons was vaguely aware of the Backrooms in terms of the original image and caption he saw on Instagram two years prior.[1] However, he was not aware of the community behind it. In an interview, he stated: "I came across the original image on my computer … and I just thought, huh, it would be interesting to see if I could go to my 3D software, Blender, and try to recreate a scene in this environment,".[2] He would use Blender to create a test animation of a chair in the Backrooms being thrown and hitting a wall. The shot would later be used in the first video of the series.[1] Parsons would use Blender alongside Adobe After Effects to create the first video. It would take Parsons a month to complete the short.[3]
He would expand the concept into a series shortly after posting the first video. There, he would establish plot points such as Async, a fictional research facility that discovers the Backrooms in the late 1980s and actively researches in it. Various character animations included in these later installments would require the utilization of motion capture suits.[4]
In an interview with ABC News, Parsons’ would describe the themes of the series as "It's a slow burn story focusing on both the politics of Async and the United States government, as well as the otherworldly, confusing functions of the Complex, or The Backrooms."[2] Parsons credits the Internet aesthetic of liminal spaces as an influence for his series. In an interview with Vice Magazine, Parsons would describe the Backrooms as a manifestation of poorly remembered noncommittal memories, like old family photos from the 1990s and 2000s: "The flash is always on, the lighting is gross looking, there's yellow walls, the white balance is all off."[3]
Reception
Reception for the series has been mostly positive. The first video of the series received positive reviews from critics. WPST called it "the scariest video on the Internet".[5]Otaku USA categorized it as analog horror,[6] while Dread Central and Nerdist compared it favorably to the 2019 video game Control.[7][8]Kotaku praised the series for exercising restraint in its horror and mystery.[9]Boing Boing's Rob Beschizza predicted that the Backrooms, like the creepypasta Slender Man and its panned 2018 film adaptation, would eventually be adapted into a "slick but dismal 2-hour Hollywood movie."[10]
Parsons said he had "no idea" there had been an existing fan community behind the original Backrooms legend, and recalled being surprised to see comments on his first video from people saying "You're doing the Backrooms wrong. What is this?" or "There's supposed to be smilers on level one."[b] He said that this continued until eventually "people almost forgot about the old one" and his version had "sort of been adopted" by fans.[1] For his work on the series, Parsons would receive a Creator Honor award from The Game Theorists during the 12th Streamy Awards.[11][12] The series' installments have garnered a collective total of over 100 million views.[13]
Episodes
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Length
Original release date
1
"Found Footage"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
9:14
January 7, 2022 (2022-01-07)
In 1991, while filming a short film, a cameraman phases into the ground, finding himself in the Backrooms. While examining a wall faced with graffiti, he hears a sound behind him and turns to see a creature (referred to as "the Lifeform" by Parsons) that begins to pursue him. The cameraman escapes to a lower floor, experiencing various architectural anomalies before being led back up. He is shortly after pursued yet again. He hides from the Lifeform in a narrow wall gap leading to a steep slope, at which point the creature charges at him, grabbing him and causing him to drop his camera down the chute, which phases back into reality and falls from the sky.
An opened .tar archive displays images of the Complex and redacted personnel.[14]
3
"The Third Test"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
1:46
January 13, 2022 (2022-01-13)
On July 2, 1988, the Async Research Institute conducts the third test of their "Low-Proximity Magnetic Distortion System". A robotic narrator explains that in April of that year, a press conference was held where the vice director of Async, Ivan Beck, stated the goal of the project was to address the growing housing and storage crisis.
4
"First Contact"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
1:58
January 17, 2022 (2022-01-17)
On October 17, 1989, Async performs the sixth test of the Low-Proximity Magnetic Distortion System. The test results in the opening of a gateway into the Backrooms, which occurs at the same time as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
5
"Missing Persons"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
2:37
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Reported missing person cases begin to skyrocket shortly after the opening of the Threshold (the name given to the gateway created by Async in First Contact). While on a routine expedition, several Async employees discover a dead body sitting against a wall covered in a dark mold-like growth.
6
"Autopsy Report"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
2:37
February 23, 2022 (2022-02-23)
An autopsy is conducted on the body found in "Missing Persons". The medical examiner determines that growth is a malignant form of hay bacillus. The examiner asks Ivan Beck where the body came from. The scene then suddenly cuts to a TV that flashes through numerous images before settling on the Threshold, with the sun overlayed on top.
7
"Informational Video"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
8:01
February 12, 2022 (2022-02-12)
On February 29, 1990, Async employee Peter Tench gets separated from his group in an expedition. After desperately searching for his group, he finds a dark, small room that features the facade of a house on the other end. He finds his way back to the entrance only to find an observation room that was absent when he initially entered. He accesses the room, sounding an alarm in the process.
8
"Motion Detected"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
4:07
March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11)
In 1990, Async sets up motion-activated cameras in the Complex. A compilation video is made from all available recordings. The first clips are inconspicuous, featuring employees passing between pillars, the Threshold barrier closing, and microphone failure. The final recording catches a dark mass peering from behind a distant wall.
9
"Prototype"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
1:33
March 28, 2022 (2022-03-28)
In 1982, Async tests a prototype of the "Low-Proximity Magnetic Distortion System". The machine is activated before concluding shortly after.
10
"Pitfalls"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
14:04
May 1, 2022 (2022-05-01)
While on a routine expedition in the Complex, Async researcher Marvin E. Leigh falls into a hole when attempting to cross a room (later referred to as "Room 14D") that contains deep pits. While examining his new surroundings, Marvin hears distant screams. He advances towards the source of the sound, leading him to a house at the end of a red-lit residential street that appears to be set at night. Entering the house, he discovers that the source of the sound was not a person, but a Lifeform that begins to pursue him. Marvin manages to escape with the assistance of his colleagues.
11
"Report"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
6:21
May 20, 2022 (2022-05-20)
Higher-ups at Async review the footage recorded by Marvin in "Pitfalls". Startled by the existence of hostile life in the Complex, they seal off access to the portion of the Complex that leads to Room 14D.
Black and white highway surveillance footage shows a car disappearing into the road.
13
"Presentation"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
8:26
June 25, 2022 (2022-06-25)
Async proposes plans for the potential commercialization of the Complex. On May 8, 1990, a meeting with the Department of Energy's head, James Watkins, is abruptly interrupted when a distressed Peter Tench, revealed to have traveled forward in time, finds his way back to the observation outpost.[e]
Over a phone call, a higher up at Async questions Ivan Beck about Peter Tench, who had been recovered from the Threshold outpost following "Presentation".
15
"Found Footage #2"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
13:23
August 21, 2022 (2022-08-21)
An unnamed woman falls into the Backrooms and stumbles upon a car that phased into the Complex before crashing into a wall. Following bloodstains left by the driver, she is led to a room full of dark plant-like growth. A Lifeform then emerges from the growth and begins to chase her. She is eventually cornered in a room before glowing green cracks form in the walls around her. The footage then abruptly cuts, revealing it was being watched on a television set.
A compilation of inconspicuous VHS recordings and pictures are shown before attention is given to a painting in the background of one of the photos.[f]
17
"Reunion"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
13:12
December 8, 2022 (2022-12-08)
On May 25, 1990, Async reopens access to room 14D. After being deemed safe to enter, numerous researchers go to the room and begin to cover the pits. Meanwhile, three researchers, including Marvin Leigh, and Mark Blume (who is now armed with a shotgun), are sent out to assess the corridor leading to room 14D, which is far larger and mostly unlit. The three are then ambushed by a man who reveals himself to be Peter Tench, lamenting that Async faked his death and deceived his family. Mark requests armed assistance from the team in the other room, before being shot by Peter.
18
"Overflow"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
1:39
December 24, 2022 (2022-12-24)
On August 2, 1972, a machine system experiences a power overload. A green glow gradually fills an office room. Attention is given to a document clipped to a bulletin board, which displays the signature of Ivan Beck.
19
"Damage Control"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
14:03
January 30, 2023 (2023-01-30)
After shooting Mark Blume, Tench flees and exits the premises of the facility. The next day, Async holds a meeting where they provide context to the events that happened the day prior. It is confirmed that after Tench went missing in the Complex, Async faked his death to avoid suspicion. After he was found alive, they kept him in the facility while they worked to reintegrate him. However, Tench, in a declining mental state, snuck back into the Complex where he would be found by Mark's group. It is revealed that after escaping the facility grounds, Tench was found dead, seemingly from falling and bashing his head into a rock.
20
"Found Footage #3"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
45:01
September 13, 2024 (2024-09-13)
Ravi, a man involved in an unknown conspiracy, investigates a noise coming from his basement. He discovers the sliding glass door to be broken, before falling into the Backrooms. He discovers himself in an office space, and attempts to find an exit. He leads himself in and out of various random rooms and halls that senselessly connect to each other. Eventually, Ravi is chased by a creature that makes strange noises, and he crosses over a red-lit city before continuing further into the Complex. He finds a radio transmitter and attempts to call for help, then hears police chatter in the distance as he searches for the source. Suddenly, a humanoid figure darts towards him, and he barely escapes through a crawlspace. After this, he travels through strange tunnels with warped stop signs and another red-lit city, eventually coming across a house in the middle of a room. Inside, he hears a man speaking on a phone. He explains that he is trapped in the Backrooms and needs help. However, neither are unable to see each other. The man begins tearing off the wall, before suddenly yelling as a loud rushing noise fills the room, causing the house to shake and the lights to flicker. Appearing to have lost contact with the man, Ravi panics and cries. Sometime later, Ravi talks to the camera in the red-lit city, stating he has forgotten what the sky looks like. He talks to his friends, saying he wishes to go home and to see them again before the camera dies and the video ends.
21
"Lighting and Tile Survey"
Kane Parsons
Kane Parsons
8:43
October 2, 2024 (2024-10-02)
On November 14, 1989, Async employees remove a ceiling tile and a florescent troffer light from the Complex, with several noting the apparent absence of an external power supply to the light. The following day, Dr. Julia Meisner reports the preliminary results of the analysis, the only notable findings thereof being the non-standard proportions of both the tiles and the bulbs. Markings on the light components indicate that the electrical ballast was manufactured in 1975, the troffer manufactured in 1973 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and the lightbulbs themselves manufactured by Sylvania Electric Products in an unknown year.
Film adaptation
After publishing The Backrooms (Found Footage), Parsons was approached by several studios for a feature-length adaptation. He initially pitched the idea as a comic serialization as opposed to a feature-length film. In February 2023, A24, who successfully bid on the film, announced that work had begun on a film adaptation of the Backrooms based on Parsons' videos, with Parsons directing. Roberto Patino is set to write the screenplay, while James Wan, Michael Clear from Atomic Monster, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine from 21 Laps Entertainment, Peter Chernin from Chernin Entertainment are set to produce.[15][16][17]
^Four out of the 21 episodes are unlisted on Parsons' main YouTube channel.
^"Smilers" is the name given to a malevolent creature in some iterations of the Backrooms. Similarly, a "level" is a concept created by Internet users describing different subsections of the Backrooms.
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