So, in the last review, we talked about Obsession, a stellar horror film from yet another YouTuber turned director, Curry Barker. This has been a growing trend over the years, and now we get to talk about yet another instance of this phenomenon. Except this one is the only one of them that wants to make me end it all. In a good way.

Kane Parsons broke onto the YouTube scene with the The Backrooms, a vibey, found footage style horror series centered around empty, subliminal spaces. Parsons created this series when he was just a teenager, and it became such an online success that A24 allowed him to make a feature length adaptation of his series with a much higher budget and some of the best actors working today. This kid is 20. Ten years younger than me. And here I am bitching and moaning on the internet. 

But I’m honestly super happy for this growing trend of online creators transitioning to film. It’s allowing creative minds with actual ideas and ambitions to take a crack at the box office, and it’s the kind of shake up the scene has been needing for a minute. So, how does Backrooms compare to the latest slew of online creator horror films?

Backrooms is absolutely a showcase of Parson’s ability as a wordbuilder and tone maestro. The same somber sense of dread and amazement that originated in his short film series is carried over to the big screen with incredible effect. The recreation of the droning, otherworldly spaces of yesteryear make for a haunting, astonishing journey through a world that feels familiar, but only just. The scenes taking place in the Backrooms are filled with ample tension that put your right in the shoes of the characters as they delve deeper into a madhouse of nostalgia and bygone eras. But while this film is undoubtedly a showcase of Parson’s strengths, it’s also quite clear where he stands to improve as a narrative storyteller.

While the vibes, setup and execution are all solid, it’s those elements that flow in between them that ultimately makes this film feel less impactful than it ultimately could. As much as I appreciate the attempt at trying to tie the backrooms to a greater theme of memory and change, a lot of the reflections on it ultimately feel hollow, with the film having to explain its themes verbatim to you through dialogue between an underwhelming Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. Additionally, the third act kind of moves away from the ambient horror of the first two acts, kind of feeling like the film overplayed its hand and didn’t stick the landing as much as I’d hoped. Even still, I think fans of the original series are really gonna love this, while still finding ways to unsettle those who aren’t as chronically online.

There is no Backrooms without the backrooms; the sprawling, off-kilter world of 1900s reflections that feel alien, yet familiar. Originally created in Blender in Parson’s prior series, the world is expertly brought to life, making for what I would wager to be one of the most fun looking sets to be on. Parsons manages to capture a world that feels massive, yet claustrophobic; enticing, yet off-putting. All the scenes set in this world hidden beyond our own is a wonder to see on screen, and it’s made all the more haunting by a very obvious understanding of tone and pace. Parson knows exactly how to get the most out of this world, navigating through it at just the right speed that builds curiosity and anxiety over what lays around the corner. It makes for some of the most compelling found footage scenes I’ve witnessed in a minute, and while the scenes presented not through an in-world camera aren’t always as scary, it still sells the maze as the sprawling space of uncertainty it should be.

Leading the journey through the backrooms is Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a recently separated, angry furniture store manager who stumbles across this hidden world in the lower level of his store. He’s going through therapy with Dr. Mary Kline, played by Renate Reinsve, trying to get to the source of his tendency to ruin everything he touches and take accountability for his rage. A good enough character structure to get the narrative going, not one that ultimately leads to anything worthwhile. Truth be told, both of these terrific actors feel misused here, not really playing to their strengths or giving them something all that meaty to deliver on. We spend the most time with Clark, whose spiraling the film rushes through to get to its madhouse climax that doesn’t feel all that earned. Ejiofor does the most with what he’s given, managing to at least be entertaining even if his characterization feels like it’s missing pieces to itself.

I’ve really enjoyed Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World and Sentimental Value, but she sort of just feels out of place here. Those aforementioned performances are very grounded, very reigned in, and I don’t think her style really aligns with what this film was going for. Her character of Mary is carrying her own baggage of having grown up with a mother paranoid of the outside world, but like Clark, the deeper aspects of this character don’t ultimately get explored through the lens of the setup. Reinsve does fairly well in scenes that involve sitting with metaphysical despair and uncertainty, but she almost feels like a fish out of water when thrown into more traditional horror setups. I don’t think this is a complete knock on her acting ability; it more just shows how the film kind of goes from being one thing to another, and that transition isn’t a total home run.

I do recognize that, by having someone like Parsons take on the directing role, the film avoids a lot of pitfalls modern horror movies fall into. For one, you can actually see what’s going on. The uncomfortableness of the backrooms comes from its overexposure, and I’m glad that was carried over, because you just know there was a director out there that wanted to make it all dark at night. The film also refrains from overexplaining and taking away the mystique of the area as well. There’s no real, definitive answers given to what it is outside of what the other characters interpret, and I like that. It makes you feel as if you’re discovering it alongside them, formulating your own theories and reasonings. I almost kind of wish the film went a little vaguer, as it’s a concept that can honestly speak for itself purely through visuals. 

But, as a horror movie, the terror of the film mostly comes from the uncanny visuals and a hindrance on drawing too much attention to what you should be scared of. There’s a couple found footage sequences here that completely envelop you and unnerve you based on what you see, rather than by scripted jump scare noises that tell you what you should be frightened of. The third act definitely departs from this quite a bit, but while it’s not nearly as frightening as the prior acts, it still turns out to be a good time.

My only real critique of this comes down to the script, which I still feel is a much better outcome than what I was expecting. Like I said before, the themes of the film don’t entirely make themselves known in the cleanest fashion through the narrative, so some heavy handed therapy dialogue is employed to really drive this stuff home. It makes a lot of the writing come off kind of clunky, but there’s a humor to it that I certainly appreciated. I just wish there was more to take away from those underlying elements here, because the central idea behind the backrooms is quite interesting. I read it as almost a haunting reminder to the spaces that dominated the cusp of the new millenia. Large malls and office spaces defined the aesthetic of the time, and now to see them in such a mangled, mistakenly remembered setting is almost like seeing the remnants of an empire. All we’re left with is the memory of what once was, but even our own memories can’t be trusted 100%. The film’s narrative and the two main character’s journeys feel a bit disconnected from that idea, but I will confide that actual thought was put into this film than most creepypasta movies would ever allow. Looking at you, Slenderman.

Horror has always been the proving grounds for directors getting their start, and that trend seems to be continuing tenfold. Backrooms is an incredibly solid piece of online horror brought to the big screen that has a patience and maturity to it that some might not be expecting and more might not even like. But Kane Parsons has proven he wants to tell stories, not appease swarths of Roblox players, and I’ve gotta tip my hat to him. I think the young director is right on the cusp of making something truly great, and if he feels so inclined, I’m sure he’ll have quite a prosperous future in film if he sticks with it. Definitely give this one a watch if unconventional horror interests you, and remember to take a chance on small creators who truly have passion. Remember next time a guy on the street tries to get you to read his screenplay. It’s me. I’m the guy.

RATING

LEMON-AL SPACE

Liminal spaces tend to evoke on odd comfort almost as much as they invoke a sense of uneasiness. The environments feel familiar to you, but not entirely, and yet there’s still a sense of weird warmness that comes with gazing into the past. But those feelings are confusing! So lets give you a feeling that’s a bit more straightforward with the Lemon-al Space. This is a creamy, light cocktail that pulls in tart flavors from limoncello and lemon juice to make for a slightly desert, slightly refreshing cocktail that can make the madness of staring at that same wallpaper design over and over again a little more palatable.

INGREDIENTS

• 2oz gin
• 3/4oz limoncello
• 1/2oz lemon juice
• 1/2oz heavy cream
• 1/2oz simple syrup
• GARNISH: lemon zest

INSTRCUTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with gin.
2. Strain into chilled coup glass.
3. Grate a lemon over the top to garnish with lemon zest.