Filmmaker Ken Parsons’ recent film Backrooms has earned more than $400 million worldwide. While audiences have widely associated the film with the horror genre, its director Parsons does not consider it a horror film.

During a panel discussion at the Zurich Summit, Parsons said that he did not direct Backrooms as a horror movie. According to him, presenting the film as horror has been the easiest approach from a marketing perspective, while it is also easier for audiences to understand the film within that framework.

The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark. The story revolves around the owner of a furniture store who discovers a portal in his basement that leads to a maze of endless, empty rooms with yellow walls.

This mysterious world gives Backrooms an identity distinct from traditional horror films. Rather than relying primarily on fear, the film attempts to hold viewers through an unfamiliar, endless and unsettling atmosphere.

Parsons’ statement makes it clear that calling the film horror does not fully define its identity. For him, the experience of Backrooms extends beyond being confined to a single genre.

The film has achieved major success at the box office, but from the director’s perspective, the story is more about experiencing its mysterious world than simply creating fear.