UPDATE (5:40PM E.T.): ScreenCrush spoke to a source close to the situation who confirmed that the claim submitted to Redbubble was triggered via an automated system and that A24 did not submit an intentional claim. The claim has since been retracted.
ORIGINAL STORY: A digital artist’s Backrooms-inspired art on Redbubble, an online print-on-demand marketplace, has been removed after the website allegedly received a complaint about the artwork “on behalf of” A24.
In a post on Reddit, the creator behind the art, which is a digital rendering of the signature yellow wallpaper associated with the viral Backrooms aesthetic introduced on 4Chan in 2019, and seemingly made before the Backrooms film released, claims the piece was removed from the website after Redbubble received a complaint from a party alleging to be A24.
“Creators, beware: A24 requested that my Backrooms-inspired artwork be taken down,” the artist titled the Reddit post.
“It is a recreation of the pattern from the well-known 2019 image who [sic] started the whole Backrooms lore. I find it disappointing to see a company attempt to claim such a broad connection to a concept that has been developed, shared, and loved by an online community for years. I would have hoped that A24 would celebrate that creative history rather than take action against independent artists who were, just like them, inspired by it,” the artist wrote.
“I respect the rights attached to any specific film adaptation, but those rights should not be treated as ownership of the entire Backrooms concept, its broader visual language, or the community lore surrounding it,” he continued, adding the situation “raises an important question about what happens when large companies adapt community-created internet culture.”
READ MORE: Backrooms Explained: The Complex, Async, and the Ending
After sharing the Reddit post on Wednesday (July 15), the artist received a wave of support on social media.
Backrooms fans criticized A24, the cult film production and distribution company known for heralding independent films as well as unconventional and emerging filmmakers, for seemingly claiming ownership of a broader, fan-driven aesthetic that has existed for seven years prior to the film’s May 2026 release.
Kane Parsons, creator of the viral The Backrooms series on YouTube and director of the 2026 film, also weighed in on Reddit. “I’m looking into this. Should not be happening,” he commented under the original post.
However, in an update to their post, the artist, who has since disputed the complaint and claimed their artwork was “recreated from the original 2019 Backrooms image” back in 2023, not the recently released film, clarified that they do not know for sure if A24 personally submitted the complaint, or if an unrelated third party sent the claim to Redbubble.
“To be precise, Redbubble informed me that the artwork was removed following a complaint submitted on behalf of ‘A24 Films LLC.’ I did not receive direct communication from A24, and I cannot independently confirm who submitted the complaint beyond the information provided by Redbubble,” they wrote.
“At this stage, I do not know whether the complaint was intentional, automated, mistaken, or submitted by an authorized third party. Please do not contact or harass anyone involved. I will update this post when I receive further clarification,” they added.
ScreenCrush has reached out to A24 for comment.
When a struggling furniture store owner suddenly goes missing in the early 1990s, his therapist stumbles upon an endless, horrifying dimension of unsettling liminal spaces while desperately searching for him in Backrooms. The film is available to watch at home now via VOD.
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Gallery Credit: Erica Russell
