What Parsons said
Parsons told the Zurich Summit that he does not see Backrooms as aligned with conventional horror. The remark reframes how he approached the movie; it does not dispute that the project grew from his liminal-space web series and is widely sold as horror.
Why the distinction matters
His earlier interviews have emphasized memory, uncanny architecture and internet mythology. Calling the work something broader than horror points to those ideas, while viewers can still reasonably experience the film as frightening.
The number in context
Deadline's headline places the comment after a reported $400 million run. That commercial figure and the genre discussion are separate claims: box-office success does not settle what artistic category the director intended.
Update note: Original source-read briefing distinguishing a filmmaker's intent from the film's public genre classification.
Original headline: ‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Distances $400M Hit From Horror Moniker: “I Don’t View It As A Horror Project”- Zurich Summit
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September 26 Zurich Summit report carrying Parsons' genre comment and the reported box-office figure.
Earlier interview checked for Parsons' emphasis on liminal space, memory and internet mythology.
Dated Deadline summit report and background interview material read. Attribution does not mean independent verification. The original publisher may require a subscription.