Offscreen and Cinéma Aventure present a special preview screening of Kane Parsons’ long-awaited film Backrooms. Many have already been lost in this endless ‘liminal space’ online, whilst others can now discover it for the first time in the cinema. The Backrooms originated as a so-called “creepypasta”, a term that first appeared on the website 4chan to describe a user-generated short horror image or story spread via the internet. Inspired by a photo of a bleak office space, Kane Parsons posted a series of self-made short films on his YouTube channel, transforming the phenomenon into a veritable urban legend. So much so that the American production company A24 invited him to turn the idea into a feature film.

Backrooms may well herald the start of a new chapter in the release of horror films on the big screen; 20-year-old Parsons hails from the horror subcultures that thrive on the worldwide web – outside the established genre film production circles – and so could potentially attract a new, younger audience to the traditional cinema circuit. Parsons, alongside the Philippou brothers (Talk To Me, Bring Her Back) and Curry Barker (Obsession), is spearheading a new generation of young filmmakers emerging from YouTube and similar platforms, and it is in the very nature of Offscreen to acknowledge and celebrate this significant moment in the history of genre film output.

You are in with a chance of winning free tickets to this special preview by following @offscreenfilmfestival on Instagram!