Mark Duplass Denies Kane Parsons Was Ghost-Driven in Backrooms

Mark Duplass Clarifies Kane Parsons’ Role in ‘Backrooms’

Mark Duplass has taken a firm stance against claims that Kane Parsons was not the true director of the upcoming A24 horror film Backrooms. The actor recently addressed online speculation, emphasizing that the 20-year-old filmmaker was fully in charge of the project. This response came after social media users began questioning whether Parsons, who gained fame for creating the viral Backrooms YouTube series as a teenager, was actually directing the feature film himself.

The controversy arose due to the involvement of high-profile producers such as James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins on the project. However, Duplass insists there was no confusion about who was leading the production. He directly challenged the idea that Parsons had been “ghost-directed” behind the scenes, despite being credited as the film’s director.

“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,” Duplass wrote on X, responding to an accusation that Parsons did not direct Backrooms.

A Mentorship That Wasn’t Needed

Duplass also shared his initial expectations of mentoring Parsons during the production, given his experience working with younger filmmakers. However, he quickly realized that the young director didn’t need any guidance. “I suspect one of the reasons I was hired was because I mentor a lot of young filmmakers and I was prepared to help out,” he said, before adding that Parsons “didn’t need any of us.”

The actor praised Parsons for being intensely prepared, noting that the filmmaker had spent years building the Backrooms mythology. Duplass highlighted Parsons’ ability to remain “sensitive, calm, and smart” while working with actors, which further solidified his role as the film’s true creative force.

The Significance of Kane Parsons’ Involvement

Parsons’ role in Backrooms has been central to the project from the beginning. After launching the unsettling found-footage horror series on YouTube in early 2022, the filmmaker developed an expansive mythology around the eerie liminal-space concept. This led to the phenomenon becoming one of internet horror’s biggest successes.

At CCXP Mexico, Parsons revealed that the production built nearly 30,000 square feet of practical backrooms sets. The team even conducted around 50 wallpaper tests to perfect the movie’s unsettling yellow aesthetic. He also explained that the film explores themes of loneliness through its characters, describing it as a story often centered on isolated individuals.

This transition from YouTube to mainstream filmmaking is a topic of broader debate, as seen in the case of content creator Markiplier, who independently released and distributed his horror film Iron Lung, which grossed over $50 million on a $3 million budget.

A24’s Unusual Horror Bet

With Backrooms set to hit theaters, Parsons now finds himself at the helm of one of A24’s most unusual horror bets. The challenge lies in adapting a viral internet phenomenon into a full-scale feature film at just 20 years old. However, if there were lingering doubts about who was steering the ship, Duplass has made his position clear: from his experience on set, Backrooms very much belonged to Kane Parsons and still does.