The horror film Backrooms will premiere first in Korea, becoming the world's first release.
Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, produced by A24, and distributed by BYPOM Studio Co. Ltd. and Revive Contents Co. Ltd., opens worldwide first in Korea on Wed., May 27, and, ahead of press screenings, is drawing attention by presenting viewing points that offer an early glimpse of the film's core attractions.
Backrooms follows Clark and Mary as they face unexplainable events in a bizarre space defined by yellow walls and endless fluorescent lights. A24, which redefined auteur horror with Hereditary and Midsommar, Atomic Monster led by James Wan of The Conjuring series, and 21 Laps Entertainment of Stranger Things co-produced the film, and rising director Kane Parsons, born in 2005 and who signed the youngest directing deal in A24 history at age 17, takes the helm, raising expectations.
The first viewing point is that the Backrooms phenomenon, which sparked a global syndrome, has finally expanded to the screen. Backrooms has grown beyond a simple internet urban legend into a cultural phenomenon, and director Kane Parsons, in his teens, translated it into his own distinctive visual language on YouTube, generating explosive reactions. The world built online and reborn as a feature film, Backrooms raises expectations as a new horror experience completed in theaters beyond the YouTube craze.
The second viewing point is unquestionably the presence of director Kane Parsons. Born in 2005, he drew early Hollywood attention by signing the youngest directing contract in A24 history at age 17. Backrooms, his first feature film debut at age 20, brings the original world he has built and his bold sensibilities fully to the screen, announcing the arrival of a new face to lead next-generation horror. Interest is focused on Parsons' daring direction, especially following a high-profile conversation with producer James Wan.
The third viewing point is the unique spatial horror of Backrooms. The yellow walls, endlessly repeating fluorescent lights, and a strange structure with no discernible entrance or exit create intense tension by themselves. Twisting familiar spaces into the most unfamiliar sensations, Backrooms offers an immersive thriller that presses both visually and psychologically beyond simple jump scares. The anxiety and pressure of confined spaces and the slowly intensifying terror are expected to be felt more intensely in theaters.
With Korea's world-first release approaching and expectations rising, Backrooms, which will lift its veil first through press screenings, is set to captivate audiences with the screen expansion of the YouTube syndrome, the bold debut of 20-year-old wunderkind director Kane Parsons, and the overwhelming tension produced by the intense setting of a yellow room.
Above all, Backrooms heralds the birth of a previously unseen spatial thriller and will open worldwide first in Korea on Wed., May 27.
So far, Backrooms has received positive reviews in North America through advance screenings. On social media, comments such as "bizarre," "I think I'll have nightmares," "the art direction was outstanding," and "reading the reviews makes it hard to wait, I really want to see it" have increased interest. As a horror film released to match the summer season, it will be interesting to see what reaction Backrooms receives domestically.
[Photo] film poster and stills
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