Kane Parsons is a visionary prodigy who built 30,000 square feet of practical sets and earned the respect of industry veterans like Mark Duplass. The young director deserves credit for his creative control on A24's 'The Backrooms,' not baseless attacks from internet skeptics.
Industry insiders are split on Parsons' rapid rise. Some whisper that a 20-year-old directing an A24 horror film with James Wan as a producer seems suspiciously convenient—how much of the finished product is really his vision? The discourse reveals Hollywood's ugly gatekeeping when a young filmmaker threatens to disrupt the established order.
Mark Duplass posted on X defending Parsons: 'Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age.' At CCXP Mexico, Parsons revealed they constructed 30,000 square feet of practical backrooms set and conducted 50 wallpaper tests to perfect the signature yellow walls.
The backlash against Kane Parsons reeks of industry jealousy disguised as skepticism—Mark Duplass saw him in action and vouched personally. When a 20-year-old gets an A24 horror film before many veterans ever will, expect the knives to come out.
Mark Duplass has entered the chat, and he's not letting the internet drag Kane Parsons without a fight. The “Backrooms” star took to X on Tuesday to shut down rumors questioning whether 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons actually directed A24's upcoming horror adaptation. An X user had claimed that Parsons "absolutely didn't direct" the film—a accusation that clearly ruffled feathers enough for Duplass to respond publicly.
"Hmmm, with all due respect I don't remember seeing you on set," Duplass fired back. "When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age." That's a significant endorsement from an indie heavyweight who's spent decades navigating Hollywood's trenches.
Duplass isn't just offering empty praise—he's putting his reputation behind a kid who hasn't even hit drinking age yet. The discourse didn't stop there. Sophy Romvari, director of "Blue Heron," weighed in with her own take on the Parsons conversation.
While acknowledging that jealousy often fuels this kind of chatter about young success stories, she offered a contrasting perspective: "I can confidently say I'm very glad I made my first feature at 34 instead of in my 20's—I'm a much better filmmaker now." It's a diplomatic middle ground between dismissing the criticism entirely and validating Parsons' talent. Romvari gets it—the industry does have a weird obsession with youth, but that doesn't mean every prodigy story is automatically above scrutiny.
Here's what we actually know about "The Backrooms": It adapts Parsons' wildly popular YouTube series about liminal spaces—those unsettling, fluorescent-lit rooms that feel like they exist between dimensions. The film follows a small-town furniture store owner who stumbles through a mysterious doorway into an otherworldly nightmare. Beyond Duplass, the cast includes heavy hitters like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell.
And for those wondering if this is some student film with A24's logo slapped on it, consider this: James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins all signed on as producers. That's not exactly a vote of zero confidence in Parsons' abilities. At CCXP Mexico, Parsons himself dropped details about the production scale that should silence at least some critics.
His team constructed approximately 30,000 square feet of practical backrooms sets—actual walls crew members could walk around and get lost in. They ran 50 wallpaper tests to nail the exact shade of yellow for those signature liminal corridors. "The set was huge," Parsons said.
"We built 30,000 square feet of actual backrooms that we could walk around in. Actually, some people were getting lost. It felt like being there, which was really weird." That's not the output of someone riding someone else's coattails—that's obsessive craftsmanship from a filmmaker with a singular vision.
