Kane Parsons, the creator of the viral found-footage film, believes his interpretation of the backrooms has become "minor cultural shorthand" for abstract, liminal spaces. This phenomenon is evident even in mainstream media, with Parsons noting that "South Park just did a backrooms episode." He observes that his film's version of the backrooms is beginning to supersede its earlier iterations.
The widespread adoption of the backrooms concept has led to various brands creating parodies and themed content. McDonald's featured its Grimace character in a maze reminiscent of the backrooms, Ikea released horror shorts with a similar theme, and even the sponge brand Scrub Daddy posted a backrooms-inspired clip. These instances highlight the significant cultural impact of Parsons' film.
Parsons, however, emphasizes that his film is an adaptation and not the definitive canon for the backrooms, as the concept itself is intentionally unbound. "It's not meant to be any one thing, it's not meant to conform," he stated. His aim was for the idea to become "blurrier in your head over time and just be an abstract thing that sits with you," a vague cultural moment rather than a fixed entity.
This deliberate ambiguity, Parsons explained, was key to the film's success. He values attention to detail, such as specifying the types of materials used in the backrooms' construction, but cautions against over-defining the concept. "I think you've got to be really careful and deliberate when walking the line and not getting to a place where it's like all someone's dream… I don't think people enjoy that."
Ultimately, Parsons views the backrooms, much like the SCP Foundation, as something that cannot be contained. He likens it to a story that belongs to everyone, stating, "You can't harness the backrooms in an IP, it's just going to dissolve over time and who knows where that goes."