A24’s Horror Movie Adapts Creepypasta That Inspired Apple TV’s Sci-Fi Masterpiece

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A24’s most anticipated horror film this year draws from the same online story that inspired a popular sci-fi series on Apple TV+.

Creepypastas – those originally popular online horror stories – have been adapted into movies several times, with mixed results. But the upcoming A24 film based on a creepypasta is generating a lot more excitement than previous attempts, and horror fans are eagerly anticipating its 2026 release.

It’s still too early to say if it will live up to expectations, but it’s interesting to note that this creepypasta actually served as a hidden inspiration for a fantastic sci-fi series on Apple TV.

The Backrooms Creepypasta That Inspired Severance Is Getting A Movie Adaptation

A24’s upcoming horror film, based on the popular online creepypasta ‘The Backrooms,’ is generating a lot of excitement. Set to release on May 29, 2026, the movie is directed by Kane Parsons, who first became known for his unique take on The Backrooms, which he created and shared as found footage on YouTube.

The first trailer for the movie has been released, giving us a glimpse of how the director plans to bring the Backrooms to life on film.

The new movie is shrouded in secrecy, but the basic plot involves a therapist who finds herself in a strange, alternate dimension called the Backrooms while trying to locate a missing patient.

Apple TV+’s show Severance shares a similar inspiration with the Backrooms creepypasta. According to creator Dan Erickson (in an interview with The Digital Flix), the show’s eerie and repetitive office setting was directly influenced by the unsettling, empty feeling of the Backrooms.

The Backrooms Creepypasta & Its Origins Explained

The Backrooms started as an online story about a never-ending maze of rooms. These rooms are characterized by yellow wallpaper and the constant hum of fluorescent lights. The vast, empty space is unsettling, and the story suggests a feeling of being watched or that something dangerous is nearby, even if you can’t see it.

People enter the Backrooms by accidentally glitching out of reality, a phenomenon known as “nonclip-ing.” This strange place isn’t just one endless space; it has different levels, each with its own unique monsters.

The story began with a simple image posted on the 4chan internet forum. A user shared a picture of a strangely unsettling room, and it quickly became something much bigger. Over the past ten years, the image has evolved into a well-developed online legend. It’s a striking example of how something small can have a huge impact – that single post is now inspiring a sci-fi horror movie being developed by A24.

Severance Secretly Proves The Backrooms’ Movie Can Work

Image via Apple TV+

The Backrooms are captivating and frightening because they feel strangely familiar. Most people have felt that unsettling quiet when alone in a place like an empty office corridor or a nearly deserted mall with buzzing lights. The Backrooms amplify those feelings, turning those ordinary, in-between spaces into something endless and otherworldly.

The show Severance uses its visual style to powerfully convey the feeling of being trapped that its ‘innie’ characters experience within the corporate environment. The office building feels like a confusing, endless maze, designed to keep them lost rather than help them find their way.

The Apple TV sci-fi series brilliantly uses the eerie visual style of the Backrooms to represent feelings of being trapped, both mentally and at work. The new A24 movie appears to be exploring similar themes, and following the success of Severance, that makes it particularly interesting.

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2026-02-28 23:19