Here’s the single 4chan image that propelled Backrooms to $118 million and still growing.

      Backrooms has become a massive success—a horror sensation that transitioned from a YouTube series to an impressive debut from 20-year-old director Kane Parsons, which recently achieved an opening weekend of $118 million.

      Such box office numbers are typically associated with a Marvel blockbuster, not a film created on a modest $10 million budget by a first-time feature director. Parsons achieved the largest opening weekend in history for A24, the studio responsible for hits like Moonlight, Hereditary, and Midsommar.

      What stands out most about Backrooms is how it demonstrates a new model for the struggling studio system, provided it can embody the resourcefulness of A24.

      Instead of relying on established studio intellectual properties, Backrooms grew out of Parsons' YouTube series, which cultivated an enthusiastic audience with a low budget, generating curiosity and a sense of investment among its fans. This fanbase created anticipation for the film, enabling it to achieve significant mainstream success.

      Additionally, the film benefited from striking visuals, particularly the eerie yellow rooms that play a central role. The production design is as much of a highlight in Backrooms as the lead actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass. Special recognition should go to production designer Danny Vermette and art director Alan Derksen for actualizing Parsons’ vision on screen.

      The 4Chan Creepypasta That Inspired Kane Parsons’ Backrooms

      However, the vision didn’t originate with Parsons—it began with 4chan, the anonymous imageboard where users share images that often evolve into memes. Backrooms is no exception.

      In 2019, the /x/ forum featured a disturbing image of an empty hallway in a sickly yellow hue. An anonymous user described this place as “the Backrooms, where it’s nothing but the stench of old, damp carpet, the insanity of mono-yellow, the constant hum of fluorescent lights, and around six hundred million square miles of randomly divided empty rooms where one could get trapped.”

      This image became a classic instance of “creepypasta,” a term for user-generated horror stories that transform into urban legends as they circulate across the internet.

      Parsons expanded on this concept and launched his YouTube series The Backrooms in 2022. Presenting his stories as found footage, he produced a series of short, glitchy segments reminiscent of VHS tapes with titles such as “Backrooms — First Contact,” “Backrooms — Motion Detected,” and “Backrooms — Autopsy Report.”

      He built expansive worlds using free 3D software called Blender, which he began using at age 14, motivated by a desire to replicate the visuals of video games like Half-Life, known for its exploration and puzzles. His interest in Blender was partially spurred by the anticipated release of a Half-Life sequel centered on the character Alyx Vance.

      “I got into Blender, I suppose, not primarily for film production,” he stated. “I think it straddles the line between film production, image production, game design, and general art direction. … I was creating art in anticipation of Half-Life: Alyx’s release, and when it launched, I started exploring how I could extract assets from that and create little scenes.”

      Parsons was also influenced by the YouTube tutorials of VFX expert and filmmaker Ian Hubert, who gained popularity for his accessible “lazy tutorials.”

      “For those unfamiliar, he has a tutorial style that became quite successful on YouTube, featuring quick, punchy lessons on how to create something, which made it seem approachable and enjoyable due to his engaging personality,” Parsons explained.

      He mentioned that discovering such tutorials is part of the experience of “growing up on YouTube.” Now that Backrooms has raked in $118 million globally—$81.5 million of which is from domestic earnings—Hollywood will undoubtedly be on the lookout for the next visionary nurtured on YouTube.

      Main image: Kane Parsons, left, and Chiwetel Ejiofor on the set of Backrooms. A24