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A24 Launches “Backrooms” Horror Film Amid Busy May Slate

5/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A24’s horror film Backrooms opens in the United States on May 29.
Directed by Kane Parsons and written by Will Soodik, the film adapts Parsons’ web series and Backrooms creepypasta, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, and Mark Duplass.
In May, A24 also released the horror titles Hokum, Obsession, and Passenger and previewed a sequel to a horror-comedy franchise and an Evil Dead film for the summer.

History

Historical Context

The 1999 indie horror The Blair Witch Project, made on a $5 million budget and grossing $45.2 million worldwide, pioneered viral internet marketing and found-footage storytelling. Its success showed studios such as Lionsgate that online myths could drive box-office returns, a model later echoed in A24’s 2024 Backrooms film, which adapts a creepypasta into a theatrical release.

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Story summary

A24’s horror film Backrooms opens in the United States on May 29.
Directed by Kane Parsons and written by Will Soodik, the film adapts Parsons’ web series and Backrooms creepypasta, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, and Mark Duplass.
In May, A24 also released the horror titles Hokum, Obsession, and Passenger and previewed a sequel to a horror-comedy franchise and an Evil Dead film for the summer.

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