From Reddit to $118M Horror Hit: 'Backrooms' Shows Hollywood Is Mining Subreddits for Its Next Big Ideas

$118 million horror hit Backrooms has become the clearest sign yet that Hollywood is raiding Reddit for its next big ideas. What began as a niche thread on the r/backrooms subreddit has grown into a full‑blown internet phenomenon, with users collectively building a shared fictional universe from a single eerie image‑board concept.

By 2019, the subreddit had evolved into a creative hub where fans expanded the mythology through stories, theories and collaborative world‑building, unknowingly laying the groundwork for what would become a major studio release. That grassroots online creativity was later picked up and amplified by digital creator Kane Parsons, known as Kane Pixels, whose viral YouTube series brought the concept to a wider audience and ultimately helped pave the way for the A24‑backed film adaptation.

Now, following the film's box office success, industry insiders are increasingly viewing Reddit not just as a discussion forum, but as a real‑time incubator for intellectual property and a potential hunting ground for Hollywood's next big hit.

How One Subreddit Built A $118 Million Horror World

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Jim Squires, chief marketing officer of Reddit, said that Reddit users came together to discuss simple concepts that eventually turned into an entire lore via the r/backrooms subreddit.

An active Reddit user who goes by the username SanderSo47 gave all the credit to the online platform for building communities of people coming together to discuss similar interests. 'The bigger the community, the bigger the opportunity to create something worthwhile,' he said.

SanderSo47 also said that Backrooms and the equally popular film Obsessions are two of the most widely talked‑about fandoms on Reddit. Over the last three years, users have received countless updates on Backrooms, including posters and interviews that built more awareness and curiosity among fans.

The Reddit user also expressed his hope for Reddit not only to be used as a platform to discuss ideas and fandoms, but to be used as a place to scout future talent. 'They see what's popular, and they want some of that. What Parsons built with his short films led to a lot of communities taking notice. He displayed a level of originality and creativity, and that was welcome in all these circles,' he said.

Reddit Stories Fast‑Tracked For The Big Screen

Other than Backrooms and Obsessions, another story on Reddit that is currently being developed as a feature film is I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl. The project is headlined and produced by Sydney Sweeney.

Squires explained that producers or a studio can look into the different subreddits on the platform to see if anything is of interest to them. If they see anything that they like, they can reach out to the moderator and can finalise a deal on the spot. Squires and his team can also help facilitate when needed.

'I think of Reddit as the most powerful focus group that ever existed. So that's both for discovering ideas you may not have thought of, but also for testing ideas and interacting with the communities to understand how things are being received and what's happening,' he said.

Reddit was founded in 2005 by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian. Later that year, they were joined by Aaron Swartz. Originally built as the 'front page of the internet', Reddit was intended for users to submit, vote on and discuss web content.