Backrooms star debunks bizarre rumor the new horror movie from 20-year-old director was "ghost directed" by its more well-known producers

Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline in Backrooms — (Image credit: A24)

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Backrooms is already lining up to be a huge hit for A24 as the new horror movie directed by Kane Parsons tracks for a big box office opening. Based on the creepypasta internet theory about a space called The Backrooms and a YouTube web series, the new sci-fi horror stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve as they navigate an otherworldly dimension of never-ending office spaces.

This is director Parsons' debut film at the tender age of just 20 and as a result there have been some unfounded internet rumors circulating about his role. This is especially the case because the film is produced by several well-known filmmakers, including Insidious' James Wan, Deadpool and Wolverine's Shawn Levy, and Longlegs' Osgood Perkins.

One of the film's stars Mark Duplass has now responded to these, calling out a Twitter user who wrote: "Promising but we all know Kane Parsons absolutely didn’t direct this movie. But the needle is moving in the right direction."

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He replied on the social media site, "Hmmm, with all due respect I don't remember seeing you on set. When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age."

Hmmm, with all due respect I don't remember seeing you on set. When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age. https://t.co/GXQsI5jxG0May 26, 2026

Speaking in an Instagram video, Duplass then elaborated more on this. "So a lot of takes going around right now about whether Kane Parsons at the tender age of 19 actually directed the Backrooms or whether it was more ghost directed by one of his more experienced producers," he said. "I was there, I suspect one of the reasons I was hired is because I mentor a lot of young filmmakers and they may have thought it would be good to have someone there who is sensitive to that and I was prepared to help out."

The Morning Show star then continued: "What happened was he didn't need any of us. He was intensely prepared. He spent the last five years of his life building out one of the most detailed mythologies I've ever been a part of, worked incredibly closely with his crew, particularly his DP and shot design, and was very sensitive and calm and smart dealing with actors. So for those of you who have all these thoughts, were you there?"

Ahead of the new movie, star Reinsve opened up to GamesRadar+ about the creepy set of the horror and actor Ejiofor shared what it was like working on something with such a viral following.

Backrooms is released on May 29. For more scares, here's our round up of all the upcoming horror movies to have on your radar.

Fay WatsonDeputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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Backrooms star debunks bizarre rumor the new horror movie from 20-year-old director was "ghost directed" by its more well-known producers

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