It was disarmingly easy to convince my friends to come see Kane Parsons’ Backrooms with me.
Unlike the times I had to try to pitch Sinners, or Together, or most recently Obsession without giving too much away (all of which were great, FYI), the words “Backrooms movie” carried me pretty far.

Released late last month by A24, Backrooms is an adaptation of a web series of the same name, from the same director, itself based on a creepypasta dating back to 2019 on 4chan.
Lost?
So are the characters, but we’ll get there.

Preface

The original iteration of the Backrooms story describes a labyrinthine place outside of conventional reality, with eerie liminal spaces occasionally populated by unfriendly creatures.
It has since been adapted into countless games, shorts and other media, and its influence can be felt throughout art, including as one of the inspirations behind the show Severance (2022-present).
As such, most younger people have some familiarity with the concept, placing high expectations on this take.

It’s worth mentioning that after May’s Obsession (dir. Curry Barker) and January’s Iron Lung (dir. Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach), this is the third horror success story this year to also be the feature debut of a YouTuber. It’s maybe too early to tell whether this suggests a shift in the film industry, but as the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me) chart similar paths, it’s definitely an interesting time for new and old media.

Plot

The film follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a failed architect who discovers an otherworldly space in his basement.
To cope with his recent divorce, Clark is seeing a therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), who becomes increasingly concerned for him as the Backrooms start to take up his life.
Everyone in the cast does well with the material, but for my money Ejiofor is the standout, especially in one scene towards the end.

If not for the horrors down there (spoilers, but not really), you can almost understand Clark’s fascination with the Backrooms.
The spaces themselves are quite remarkable, especially as most of what appears on screen is achieved with practical sets. Featuring prominently in these sets are fascinating props like asymmetric stools, intersecting piles of furniture and mirrored stop signs.

Unfortunately, the audience doesn’t get to spend nearly enough time there.
The film covers the three most important journeys into the Backrooms for Clark and Mary’s story, and each sequence is great (especially the found footage scenes), but few scenes between the second and third trips leaves the film feeling like it doesn’t have much of a second act.
Another 20-30 minutes to get the film past the 2 hour mark would have done wonders to make the story feel more complete. 

Conclusion

Overall, is Backrooms a masterpiece?
No, not really.
But is it worth seeing?
If you’re interested in it on a technical level, absolutely, especially as a directorial debut. But if you’re hoping for a meal of a story, you may only leave half-full.

3.5 / 5

Written by: Harry Gerreyn