BACKROOMS: Kane Surpassed Expectations Portraying The Backrooms Atmosphere

There is a reason Kane Parsons, while young as hell, was selected to direct the Backrooms film. It is because he knows exactly what it takes from a visual design to immerse the audience in the Backrooms and to create that environment and atmosphere exactly as the internet stories have built it. Enough can be said about the set design and how the film looks. It’s a 10/10 portrayal of what we have come to known the Backrooms to look like. This concept was always going to be really hard because their is millions of theories and levels to interpret, and if you got the design wrong, the world of the internet would be up in arms on Kane. However, he crushed it, and found two amazing leads that added depth to the film as well. If you are a casual moviegoer that doesn’t love horror or know about the Backrooms, this won’t be for you, but most horror fans should really enjoy this for how great it is visually to watch and how ambiguous the concept is here.

30,000 SQUARE FOOT SET DESIGN WORTH EVERY PENNY

The biggest accomplish this film has is building out the backrooms so well, and still making it feel like we have only seen 1% of what the backrooms is. The yellow walls, carpet, various rooms, office lights, and unique design of infrastructure that just feels off in the right way all blended so well to establish this environment. It’s amazing that they were able to capture the scale and vibe of the backrooms so well. This movie could have been a real dud if you got this wrong, but getting this right is what allows viewers to immerse themselves and then get to take in the depth of the characters and themes more.

You have so many things that Kane integrated into the set that feel perfectly imperfect about The Backrooms. To name a few, there are doors that are off center, corridors that are out of place, hallways that vary in size, furniture stacked like someone did it intentionally, and objects stuck in the floor and walls that have been consumed by the environment. It’s those subtle details that add so much to the feel and atmosphere, rather than just having a yellow office space with bright overhead lights. I would like to see what a set on the sequel of this film would look like. They had small showings of the pool rooms, scattered laundry, the Christmas room, and so many more references for the fans to love. The sequel will only give more fan fare and there is so much you can explore with this, I think Kane did the perfect amount for this initial film.

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT TO REMEMBER

Who better to direct the Backrooms, than the guy that has had the most successful found footage adaption to it on YouTube. Kane Parson was a teenager when this project started, it is truly incredible he was leading the efforts of this film with two high profile leads and an insane expectation of what the backrooms would look like on the big screen. He nailed it. He knew exactly what shots and spaces he wanted to highlight, when to let the expressions of his actors be showcased, and when to let the sound (and silence) of the film be at the front of your experience. It wasn’t perfect from a directing perspective but very polished for a 20 year old that has only done YouTube projects. He knows how to build tension and a creepy atmosphere.

I also do not blame him at all for those calling the script “weak”. I think the script actually worked because it showcased trauma, dread, and grief in a simple straight forward way that allowed the viewer to interpret it as they see fit, similar to the concept of the backrooms themselves. Too much exposition or explaining of the backrooms would have been a disaster. The ambiguity and leaving you with so many questions at the end in my opinion really worked and helped separate this film from so many others that try to answer every question in its run time.

CASTING THE RIGHT CHOICES FOR HYPE

The main castings of Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor were obviously of the intent to drum up even more hype of this film. It really made you anticipate something more than creepy setting and possible jump scares or monsters in the backrooms. Knowing these two were in the film set you up to expect more than just a basic horror film, they are capable of adding depth in simple ways with their delivery and performances, which they did. You could have for sure gotten away with lesser known actors (like Obsession did), but for a studio like A24 it felt like a safer bet to have a little more star power at the front.

This is proving to be a great choice though with Renate coming off an Oscar campaign. It felt like an immediate reaction to many ready to see what she would do in this film after Sentimental Value, which is obviously a very different type of film. The limited cast members worked so well in this. The atmosphere was in the forefront, however I don’t understand why you needed Mark Duplass in this film in his role. Except for maybe to give fans something to look forward to, which didn’t payoff until the end. I expect he was specifically cast there to be a part of a sequel which they would be dumb not to do with how much this film has made at the box office.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you love the concept of the Backrooms, you will really enjoy this film like I did. There are scenes that are truly found scary, like the Christmas tree room and this damn staircase scene showing the scale of those galleria type rooms with no damn railing really fucked me up. Heart started pounding at plenty of spots in this film especially that one. Which shows even more promise from Kane Parsons that he has the potential to build tension with such a niche idea like this film. I want a hundred of films about the backrooms to be made. This is an excellent start. I did give it a 3.5/5 on Letterboxd because I do think it is a small step below some films I ranked as a 4/5 so this rating was a product of comparison, but I greatly enjoyed it and I hope everyone goes and sees it to build this movie of A24 into their biggest film at the box office. I really think it will hit the $300M mark, which will be a first for A24. Having a niche horror film like this be your biggest bread winner should put all studios on notice. Studios need to take some shots with unique ideas like this.

COURTNEY ROETHLE