A24 is pulling us deeper into the void. A fresh image from the studio's highly anticipated Backrooms movie has surfaced, and it's all about Chiwetel Ejiofor's wide-eyed dread. The Oscar-nominated actor is captured in a moment of pure horror, staring into the unsettling yellow-lit maze that has haunted internet nightmares for years.
Directed by Kane Parsons—the youngest filmmaker ever backed by A24—Backrooms is set to hit theaters on May 29. The film follows a therapist (Renate Reinsve) who ventures into the eerie, infinite liminal space after her patient vanishes. Ejiofor plays Clark, the owner of a furniture store where a mysterious portal first appears. In the new still, he looks utterly lost, clutching a camera as he tries to document the impossible.
Parsons first turned a 4chan creepypasta into a viral YouTube series that now boasts over 77 million views for its first episode alone. Over 24 short films, he built a sprawling lore around the Async Research Institute and the so-called "Complex." Now, he's bringing that analog horror to the big screen with a feature that promises to expand the nightmare on a cinematic scale.
Ejiofor is stepping into unfamiliar territory here. Known for dramas like 12 Years a Slave and blockbusters like Doctor Strange, he's diving headfirst into horror. He'll also appear in Mike Flanagan's upcoming The Exorcist reboot. Joining him and Reinsve are Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia. The script comes from Ash vs. Evil Dead veteran Will Soodik.
Parsons had some heavy hitters in his corner. James Wan's Atomic Monster, Shawn Levy's 21 Laps Entertainment, and Chernin Entertainment all produced. He also credited Longlegs director Osgood Perkins as a key mentor during production in Vancouver. "He's been a really great mentor figure," Parsons told DiscussingFilm. "I was working very closely, literally in the same office with Osgood Perkins."
If you're craving more horror this season, check out our ranking of the most anticipated video game movies or revisit why 'Barbarian' remains a must-watch horror rollercoaster. For those who love the resurgence of the genre, our list of five true horror masterpieces from the 2020s is essential reading.
Backrooms opens in theaters nationwide on May 29. Prepare to no-clip into the unknown.
