The Next 'Backrooms' Is Coming: What To Know About 'Siren Head' Before The Movie
Backrooms (2026) proved that some internet-fueled horror legends deserve the big-screen treatment. What began as a Creepypasta and expanded into a web series under the direction of Kane Parsons exploded into the mainstream when A24 signed on to co-finance and distribute a feature-film adaptation. On a budget of just $10 million, Backrooms grossed $350 million at the box office and earned rave reviews and thoughtful analysis from audiences and critics alike.
Part of the reason Backrooms thrived is that it already had a strong fanbase. It became an internet horror sensation or perhaps even a bit of an obsession, sparking endless stories, theories, and discussions online that set it up for success on the big screen. Now, another internet horror sensation is preparing to become the next Backrooms: Siren Head.
What Is ‘Siren Head’?
Siren Head is a viral internet entity created by artist and illustrator Trevor Henderson. Henderson designed the creature and debuted it on his Instagram in August of 2018. His inspiration for the creature was number stations, shortwave radio stations that broadcast numeric codes to intelligence officers. Hence, he decided to create a cryptid that embodied number stations, designing a tall, emaciated figure with two sirens for a head. He paired the art with a caption hinting at its lore: “She was on vacation with her husband and they were scoping out graveyards on the way, as you do, when she saw it. Rising out of the old cemetery, big as an old (macabre) telephone pole. Was this some kind of bizarre art piece the authorities hadn’t gotten wise to yet?”
Initially, Siren Head garnered little attention. It wasn’t until 2020, when a TikTok of Siren Head towering over a city went viral, that the character became an internet sensation. Creators began reaching out to Henderson, looking to utilize Siren Head in their videos or video games. Across YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit, Siren Head content flourished, and the fan theories and lore expanded. Siren Head has appeared in short horror films, such as Siren Head: The Sound of Madness (2020), and in several video games. Its earliest appearance was in Siren Head by Modus Interactive, and it has since appeared in other video games, including Sirenhead: Southpoint. Siren Head also gained further popularity as a Fallout 4 mod.
Much of the allure of the character is that it’s a mystery. The imposing, enormous design gives off eerie, creepy Slender Man vibes. Henderson and others have established Siren Head as a predatory creature that has preyed on humans since ancient times, luring them in with its sirens, rupturing their eardrums, and seemingly killing for sport.
What We Know About The ‘Siren Head’ Movie
As reported by THR, Warner Bros. won a fierce bidding war for the rights to Siren Head and is officially developing a movie. The film already has impressive talent attached, as Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind Weapons (2025), will co-write the script with Brian Duffield. Meanwhile, Duffield is another filmmaker known for innovative horror, having directed and written No One Will Save You (2023). Duffield will also direct the Siren Head movie. Further details of the project remain under wraps. However, something about Cregger and Duffield’s vision for the internet horror sensation had studios from Disney to Sony engaged in a high-stakes bidding war.
Why ‘Siren Head’ Might Be The Next ‘Backrooms'
The similarities between Siren Head and Backrooms are hard to miss. They were both born on the internet, with one hailing from a Creepypasta and the other from a piece of art. Despite there not being much to their stories at first, the mere concept of them took the internet by storm, in particular becoming a Gen Z obsession. Gen Z is the generation that grew up in the digital age and became adept at scouring YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit for the most intriguing, relatable forms of storytelling. The success of Backrooms is partly due to it finally breaking through to the Gen Z audience that Hollywood has struggled to reach.
It’s not just Gen Z; a lot of audiences are struggling with franchise fatigue and the constant recycling of IPs and formulaic plots in Hollywood. Backrooms didn’t succeed simply because it already had an internet-based fandom, but because it brought something truly new and different to the screen. Siren Head is going down the same path. It has the allure of bringing an internet sensation to the big screen, but we know from the failure of Slender Man (2018) that internet fame alone doesn’t guarantee success. Fortunately, Siren Head seems poised to follow in the footsteps of Backrooms, given that it has tapped the talents of two horror writers/directors known for their innovative, authentic, and relatable storytelling.
