“Backrooms” Movie Review
Months ago, when the trailer for Backrooms first dropped, I remarked that while it looked intriguing, I hoped the original Creepypasta concept of the Backrooms could sustain itself for a feature film.
As it turns out, sorta.
Originating on 4chan back in 2019, the Backrooms photo that started it all was a shot of a furniture store in Wisconsin as it was being renovated. The empty, liminal space looked suitably unsettling, and an Internet legend was born. Kane Parsons, this film’s director, explored the concept further on his YouTube web series.
Much has been made of the fact that Kane Parsons is only 20 years old. It’s a terrific achievement, bringing a film to life (with two Oscar nominees, no less—more on them soon) and making a huge splash in the process.
At its best, Backrooms is a beast of a found footage film. While not entirely shot in that format, there are several extended segments in which the terror of the long, empty spaces is explored via handheld camera. These moments are stellar. The bizarre architecture of the backrooms is enough to disturb, but its even more unnerving when you catch glimpses of things that may or may not be a shadowy menace.
Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, the movie is never as good as these moments.
Plotwise, this is an A24 movie through and through. Both of our main characters have Trauma, with a capital T. And grief is explored through horror, something A24 has done so often that its honestly leaning into parody of itself at this point. Of course our main character had an agoraphobic mother who traumatized her as a child. Does this connect to the film’s overarching narrative? Sure?
The two leads are Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and as usual they deliver commanding performances. Reinsve especially is game to get bloody and run in terror after her Oscar-nominated performance in last year’s Sentimental Value. But as good as they are, they can’t quite stick the landing in the film’s messy third act.
The problem with a concept like Backrooms is that it works best as a Creepypasta: a snippet of something weird and disturbing that sticks with you, a brief tale that leaves you unsettled. I’d suspect the biggest challenge Parsons faced in putting the film together was ending it. And that’s where it loses me.
I won’t go into the film’s third act too much (I try real hard not to spoil things in this space), but once all the creepy corridors and strange sounds and unbearable mystery reaches its crescendo, we’re given a lengthy psychological showdown that falls flat, followed by the reveal of the film’s “entity”, which may or may not work for you. Myself, I’m still undecided on that one.
It’s not a bad film by any means, and it makes a great double feature with Obsession as two horror films that kicked off the summer movie season in the best way. I also think that while Kane Parsons didn’t quite nail it this time around, he’s 20 years old. The kid has all the time in the world to develop his skills and I think he’s gonna turn out something more refined next time around (I suggest an entirely found footage flick, sir). I also love that, while seeing a bunch of bright new faces in something like Obsession is great, acting heavyweights like Reinsve and Ejiofor are willing to dive into a horror film that goes to some crazy places. There’s room for both in horror.
I’ll wrap it up before I say too much. Backrooms is a movie that thrives on atmospheric dread, and I truly hope the Oscars remember it come awards season for its ridiculous set design. As a fleshed out feature film, it didn’t quite work for me and it definitely trips up in the final half hour, but it’s absolutely worth a watch.
*** out of *****
