A24’s BACKROOMS, the studio’s highest-grossing film domestically and worldwide, is getting ready to make its streaming debut exclusively on HBO Max.
The horror thriller will begin streaming in the United States on Friday, Sept. 25, followed by its HBO linear premiereSept. 26, at 8 p.m. ET. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell.
Directed by Kane Parsons and written by Will Soodik, BACKROOMS is based on Parsons’ acclaimed online series, which built a dedicated following around its unsettling depiction of seemingly endless, liminal spaces.
The feature centers on a mysterious doorway that appears in the basement of a furniture showroom. Once discovered, the doorway leads into an enormous network of interconnected rooms where the normal rules of time and space no longer seem to apply.
What begins as an unusual discovery quickly becomes a nightmare. The characters must navigate an environment where getting lost is only part of the danger, as an ominous presence may be lurking somewhere within the seemingly endless maze.
The film expands Parsons’ original concept into a feature-length cinematic experience while retaining the eerie atmosphere and surreal sense of isolation that helped make the series a viral phenomenon.
Parsons, who created the original BACKROOMS series, makes his feature directorial debut with the project. His transition from online filmmaking to a major theatrical release represents another example of how internet-born storytelling can develop into mainstream entertainment.
The film’s production team includes a roster of established filmmakers and producers. James Wan and Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Osgood Perkins, Chris Ferguson, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kori Adelson are among the producers. Parsons, Jesse Savath, Judson Scott and Chris White serve as executive producers.
The streaming release gives audiences who missed the film in theaters an opportunity to experience the unsettling world of BACKROOMS from home. It also arrives as HBO Max continues expanding its movie offerings across genres, from recent award-winning releases to established horror franchises.
HBO Max’s film lineup includes titles from Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios and Turner Classic Movies, along with films from Studio Ghibli and other collections.
For horror fans, BACKROOMS offers a particularly unusual premise: a familiar commercial space transformed into an impossible labyrinth where every hallway seems to lead deeper into the unknown.
With Parsons’ internet-created mythology now reaching a much wider audience, BACKROOMS is poised to introduce its strange and unsettling world to a new generation of viewers when it begins streaming Sept. 25.