In 2022, 17-year old Kane Parsons released his webseries The Backrooms to Youtube, an anthology based on the creepypasta based on liminal spaces and the aesthetic of a never-ending and bizarre dimly lit office space. After releasing the webseries Parsons was approached about adapting it into a feature film, and in the end major studios like A24 and Atomic Monster came on for Parsons' feature debut. The film was made for just under $10 million, a fairly standard budget for a studio horror film, but a crazy number considering that Parsons is still only 20 years old.
The film follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a furniture store owner struggling through a divorce and alcoholism. His store is going through a series of strange electrical problems which he can't figure out the source of. When a late night outage leads him to the basement, he is drawn to a strange glow from a crack in the wall. Placing his hand against this space in the wall he is transported to the backrooms, a never-ending maze of strangeness. In trying to explore and research he becomes lost, leading his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve) to come in looking for him.
If there's one thing Parsons masters with both his webseries and this film, it's the atmosphere. To achieve something this fascinating at such a young age is an insane achievement, as Backrooms is the kind of movie that lingers in creepiness but also refuses to let you look away. Part of this is the allure and curiosity surrounding the strange setting, but really it's the result of countless different departments coming together and working in cohesion. The set design is remarkable, and is no doubt the highlight, but the eerie sound design is also crucial in crafting the film's tension. The decision to use analog filmmaking at multiple points was also a brilliant choice, not only placing you in the film's 1990 setting, but also allowing the film's grainy POV camerawork to deliver some great tension.
Where I do find the film falters a bit is in the third act. I was impressed with just how patient Parsons is early on, allowing the story to unfold slowly and allow the creepiness of the backrooms to get under your skin. When the third act rolls around he cranks the pace up and it ultimately just feels rushed. There's one scene in particular that almost feels like a turning point where we lose the ominous allure of the film's setting and fall into a rushed climax that doesn't take the time to appreciate what makes the setting so creepy, while also not giving the audience any answers. I truly loved the first two acts, so it was a bit disappointing to see the film lose the tension that had been so rich.
Along with the great set design, there are some brilliant moments of great makeup work and some sneakily great visual effects. I also can't help but love the two lead performances. Reinsve is one of, if not my favourite actor working today, and I loved what she brought to the film. There's a patience in all of her work that I appreciate, and here we see that patience come from a place of fear. As a viewer you want to yell at her to run and hurry up at some points, but you can see the cogs turning as she works her way through the film's maze. I also thought Ejiofor was pretty fantastic. He does a great job playing a broken man trying to make ends meet, but also has a clear insecure side that can come out in more aggressive ways than I saw coming. There are also some fake 90s commercials for his store that I found hilarious.
At its worst this is a wildly promising debut for Kane Parsons, at its best it's a fascinating watch exploring a setting that makes no sense but you can't help but be hooked by. I do wish the third act stuck the landing more, but the first two acts of the film craft an incredible sense of tension that I hope we get to explore again at some point. 3.5/5
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