July 23, 2026
The real monster? The takedown
A24 Is Copyright Striking Backrooms Artwork Older Than the Movie
Fans fume as a studio seems to police a creepy internet legend the community says belongs to everyone
TLDR: A Backrooms artist said their older fan-made design was removed after a complaint tied to A24, sparking fears that a movie studio was claiming an internet legend that predates the film. Fans were furious, though later comments said it may have been an automated mistake and Kane Parsons is trying to fix it.
The Backrooms drama has officially escaped the maze and landed straight in the comments, where fans are treating this like a full-blown internet custody battle. The spark: an artist said Redbubble removed their Backrooms-inspired wallpaper after a complaint filed on behalf of A24, the studio behind the upcoming movie adaptation. The big problem, according to outraged fans, is that the art was based on the famous 2019 image tied to the original online myth, not the new film. In other words, the community is asking: how can a studio claim ownership over something the internet built together first?
And wow, people had feelings. One side went straight to "this is ridiculous", calling Backrooms a "cultural artefact" of the internet commons and warning that big companies are once again swooping in to privatize a shared online idea. Others were less shocked and more exhausted, saying this is what happens when companies use aggressive outside takedown systems that blast first and ask questions never. One especially gloomy hot take? Maybe shared internet worlds shouldn’t get mainstream movie deals at all if this is the cost.
Then came the twist: commenters rushed in with what felt like a mini redemption arc. Kane Parsons, the teen creator whose viral Backrooms videos helped inspire the film, reportedly stepped in, while another user claimed A24 said it was just an automated error and the listing was being restored. So now the vibe is equal parts panic, suspicion, relief, and side-eye. The funniest running joke? That the real horror movie was the copyright system all along.
Key Points
- •The article says the Backrooms began as an anonymous 2019 creepypasta on 4chan and later expanded through community-created stories, videos, and games.
- •Kane Parsons is described as a major Backrooms creator whose short horror video led to a feature film distributed by A24.
- •A Reddit user said A24 requested removal of their Backrooms-inspired artwork, which they said was recreated from the original 2019 Backrooms image.
- •The artist said Redbubble removed the work after a complaint submitted on behalf of 'A24 Films LLC,' and they disputed the removal.
- •The article frames the incident as part of a broader pattern of companies asserting control over internet-born, community-developed properties.