It’s been two years since it was first announced that Kane Parsons’ reimagining of the Backrooms would be getting the Hollywood treatment. Since then, it seems like audiences have finally warmed up to the idea of internet-based horror on the big screen.
Not only does A24’s Backrooms movie look like it’s going to be an unprecedented hit, but the success of films like Markiplier’s Iron Lung seems to suggest that mainstream viewers are ready for less conventional creators to make the transition to Hollywood filmmaking.
In honor of internet-based scares making their way to theaters, I’m highlighting five more ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) that Hollywood should adapt after Backrooms! While the film’s initial announcement inspired a similar article, there are now plenty of new options available, sure to entertain horror fans.
That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own online favorites if you think a particularly freaky ARG was missed that could impress viewers on the big screen.
With that out of the way, onto the list.
5. The Mandela Catalogue
The best part about engaging with an effective horror ARG is being able to immerse yourself in a creepy new world that feels like a warped version of reality. This is precisely why Alex Kister’s The Mandela Catalogue is so effective, as his alternate history narrative about shapeshifting demons slowly replacing the population of a small town takes place within a fully fleshed-out community.
Set in the fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin, The Mandela Catalogue may not boast a Hollywood-level budget, but that doesn’t make this apocalyptic story showcasing the eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell any less ambitious. From nightmarish imagery crafted from simple Photoshop edits to subtle storytelling that implies Eldritch horrors without actually having to show them, Kister’s project is a masterclass in making the most of limited resources.
4. Where is Everybody
Originally posted to TikTok in October of 2019, Alexander Nielsen’s Where is Everybody is one of the shortest horror experiences on this list. In fact, I’d argue that it’s easier to simply watch all of Nielsen’s videos than to continue reading this entry. If you don’t have the time, however, this fascinating TikTok account posts brief recordings supposedly made by a young man who finds himself quite literally alone in the world, with his post-apocalyptic exploration making for a fascinating series of lo-fi thrills.
While we’ve seen similar concepts before in minimalist ARGs like hiimmarymary, Nielsen’s flawless execution of a simple concept makes his work extremely easy to adapt to a feature film. In fact, studios could maintain the exact same found footage format and focus on expanding the lonely world surrounding our doomed protagonist.
3. Angel Hare
The cursed kid’s show is one of the oldest tropes in Creepypasta history, with similar horror stories having been told even before the rise of Kris Straub’s infamous Candle Cove back in 2009. However, Angel Hare stands out by having its fictional animated series be a bizarre Christian program with a sentient main character that appears to directly address our confused protagonist.
Not only is this a legitimately unsettling story about confronting your past, but Angel Hare also benefits from tight writing that makes it feel like a complete narrative with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and ending – a rarity amongst ARGs.
2. The Oldest View
Kane Parsons has already stated that he’s not yet done working with The Backrooms, and fans have been left to wonder if the filmmaker’s comments are hinting towards a possible sequel or perhaps even more videos in his long-running ARG. However, I’m of the opinion that, after the release of his hotly anticipated film, Parsons should instead focus on an adaptation of his most original work to date: the incredibly underrated The Oldest View series.
A surreal narrative about a vlogger who inexplicably encounters an abandoned mall at the bottom of an underground tunnel, the show appears to be a moody commentary on nostalgia and historical memory. It also happens to be bursting at the seams with Liminal Horror (while also featuring one of the all-time creepiest antagonists in ARG history). That’s why I’d love to see this found footage yarn make the leap to the big screen.
1. Mystery Flesh Pit National Park
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but even veteran storytellers will likely be surprised to learn that Trevor Roberts’ cosmic/body horror opus has its origins in a rotting cantaloupe that he discovered in the break room while working as an architect. Roberts would then edit a snapshot of the decaying fruit into an existing picture of a mine in South Africa, with the ensuing image becoming the basis of a long-running story about a massive superorganism buried in central Texas.
A gruesome satire of corporate greed and how human beings can quickly adapt to ridiculous situations, Mystery Flesh Pit National Park is a multifaceted narrative told through in-universe writing, illustrations, and even a Tabletop RPG. Of course, a Hollywood movie would ideally take the form of a mockumentary following the creation of the park and the terrifying 2007 disaster that led to its closing.
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