“Backrooms” star Mark Duplass took to X on Tuesday to defend Kane Parsons from rumors that the 20-year-old filmmaker didn’t actually direct the upcoming horror film.
Responding to an X user who claimed Parsons “absolutely didn’t direct” A24’s “Backrooms,” Duplass wrote, “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.”
“Blue Heron” director Sophy Romvari gave her own take on the discussion surrounding Parsons. She wrote on X Tuesday, “Jealousy fuels so much of this type of discourse about age and success. That said, 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.”
“The Backrooms,” based on Parsons’ highly popular YouTube series, follows a small-town furniture store owner who discovers a mysterious doorway to an otherworldly dimension in his showroom. Along with Duplass, cast members include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell. James Wan, Shawn Levy and Osgood Perkins serve as producers.
Parsons said during a recent interview at CCXP Mexico that his production team built about 30,000 square feet of the creepy liminal walls for “The Backrooms” set, and “did 50 wallpaper tests to get the right shade of yellow.”
“The set was huge,” he 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.”
