Now that Obsession and Backrooms have emerged as the two summer surprises, Hollywood hopefully takes note of the right lessons. Perhaps modest budgets (reportedly $750,000 for the former, $10 million for the latter) can once again find their place amidst the mega-blockbusters, especially when coupled with the risk-taking vision of young creators who started with alternative forms like YouTube. For now, there's a concern that studios might focus on subpar adaptations of 'creepy pastas' (a Siren Head project is already underway), whereas the success of Backrooms clearly stems from Kane Parsons' singular storytelling within this web-originated universe.
With a global box office haul of $394 million, it's understandable that everyone is looking for an equivalent success. Distributor A24 has scored its biggest hit to date with Backrooms, and given the numerous narrative possibilities left open by the first film, a sequel was undoubtedly quickly put into discussion.
Back 2 Rooms
Dread Central has been explicit on the matter: not only is Backrooms 2 officially greenlit by A24, but it is indeed slated to be Kane Parsons' next film. This brings reassurance, knowing that the prodigy director is returning to extend his unique vision of liminal spaces, rather than handing the reins to just anyone.
For those unfamiliar, Parsons gained recognition at just 16 years old with his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels, where he developed a web-series around the Backrooms, crafting his own mythology. Quickly noticed by Hollywood, he has consistently stated in interviews that YouTube was not a strategy to break into cinema. The type of horror he creates is perfectly suited for online video, and for a time, the expansion of Backrooms was even envisioned as a television series.
Let's go back
All this to say, Parsons is clearly busy across various mediums. He is also simultaneously working on another film with his mentor Osgood Perkins (director of Longlegs), who was a significant producer on Backrooms. We can only hope that Parsons didn't rush into this sequel out of fear that his creation would be handed off to a stranger, and that he will soon be able to experiment with more original projects.