{"id":772963,"date":"2026-07-01T22:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/772963\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T22:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:18:09","slug":"zach-cregger-to-write-what-could-potentially-be-the-next-backrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/772963\/","title":{"rendered":"Zach Cregger to Write What Could Potentially Be the Next ‘Backrooms’"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the upcoming years, the phrase \u201cthe next Backrooms<\/a>\u201d is going to be thrown around way too much, but in this case, we think it\u2019s warranted. That\u2019s because Warner Bros. just beat five other studios to buy the rights to a viral horror short<\/a> with over 200 million views and has two horror masters attached to help bring it to life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The short is called Siren Head, which was created by Trevor Henderson. Based on a drawing from 2018<\/a>, it got turned into a short film in 2020, has since racked up 240 million views, and follows a terrifyingly tall creature with a siren for a head. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, Weapons and Barbarian director Zach Cregger will team up with Spontaneous and Whalefall<\/a> director Brian Duffield to co-write a Siren Head feature, with Duffield likely to direct.<\/p>\n

The trade reports that Sony, Universal, Paramount, and Disney\u2019s 20th Century Studios were also bidding for the film\u2019s rights, which were only being sold to theatrical distributors. No streamers allowed.<\/p>\n

Beyond just the short, the idea of this creature has created a vast, fan-driven mythology, which is apparently what drew Cregger and Duffield to the project. \u201cThe duo are said to have found a take into the world that jazzed them into collaborating and in turn, excited the studios into bidding,\u201d the trade reports.<\/p>\n

And while calling Siren Head \u201cthe next Backrooms\u201d makes sense on a few levels (viral short, name recognition, etc.), this is obviously different in many ways. One, it\u2019s more creature-based than concept-based. Two, that film was directed by Kane Parsons, the person primarily responsible for the original itself (though he certainly had help from producers like Oz Perkins). And this is coming together with two proven voices in the horror space. If anything, Siren Head might have a better foundation than Backrooms did.<\/p>\n

You can watch the short below if you haven\u2019t seen it. Do you think this could be a mega horror hit?<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n