KANE PARSONS JUST BROKE HOLLYWOOD'S RULEBOOK—AND FILM TWITTER JUST HIT ALL CAPS
Nineteen-year-old Kane Parsons—yep, you read that right, he's barely out of high school—just became the youngest director in A24's culty roster. If your YouTube algorithm is even sort of haunted, you've seen his digital fever dream “The Backrooms”—DIY found footage horror that's racked up almost 200 million views and turned liminal office carpet into pure nightmare fuel.
Now, A24's given Parsons the big chair for a feature adaptation, with Roberto Patino (of “DMZ” cred) handling the screenplay. Oh, and the cast? Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. That's Marvel-to-art-house whiplash for your brain, and Twitter's existential dread is delightfully justified.
WHAT DOES THIS CHANGE? (BESIDES YOUR YOUTUBE RECOMMENDED)
Here's the kicker: Parsons is nineteen. Let that number sink in. He just leapfrogged the film school-to-indie fest grind and went straight to the frontlines of boutique horror, flanked by legit Oscar-caliber actors. Will seasoned A24 producers ride shotgun? You bet—nobody's letting a multi-million dollar gamble run solo with a learner's permit. But this is the kind of overnight flex that could launch a thousand TikTok pitch decks.
Try this comp: Sandberg did it in 2016 with “Lights Out” (he was 35, not a teenager), landing Hollywood's biggest horror toybox. The difference? Parsons' source material is his fanbase—and all those DIY visual effects and slow-burn creeps. What worked in shakycam shorts will now face A24's fussy lens. Success? Or career-destroying meme? Buckle up.
VIRAL FEVER VS. HOLLYWOOD SKEPTICISM—AGAIN
This isn't a first, but it is a scream-worthy escalation. Hollywood's hired from the digital wilds before: Lights Out, Talk to Me by the RackaRacka duo, even “Shazam!” All viral, all promoted from low-res YouTube nights to Friday night multiplex. The twist? A24 needed the edge. It trades on cursed, meme-able energy. Ironically, old-school stars like Ejiofor are now hitching their wagon to the TikTok generation. Industry insiders will spin this as “mentorship” (translation: insurance policy), but let's face it: nobody can choreograph a viral jump scare quite like a kid who grew up in the endless scroll.
And if this feels risky… congratulations, you get A24.
THE FINAL WORD
Here's the uncomfortable truth: If Parsons nails the landing, gatekeepers will scramble to sign the next viral wunderkind. If he doesn't? The pitch decks go back to film school. Welcome to The Backrooms—where success is either a launchpad or a trap door. Are you betting on youth, or already preparing your “told you so” threads?
