Time: 110 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence & offensive language
Cast:
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark
Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline
Mark Duplass as Phil
Finn Bennett as Robert “Bobby” Franklin
Lukita Maxwell as Kathrine “Kat” Taylor
Director: Kane Parsons

While I didn’t have a thorough understanding about the Backrooms, the internet creepypasta, I was familiar with the general concept of it. Eventually, it got a movie from Kane Parsons, who previously created an analog web series based on it. While I found the idea of the Backrooms to be intriguing, I really wasn’t sure if it would work as a full feature film, but it turned out to be pretty good

I’m not familiar with the lore of the Backroom, and have only seen a couple glimpses of the videos based on it (probably from Kane Parsons’ web series), and so I’ve got the general idea of what it’s supposed to be. Honestly I think if anything the movie may be best experienced without much knowledge going in. The writing is definitely where the movie suffers the most, but credit to Parsons for trying to give it a story that fitted the concept. I think the main issue is that the character writing just wasn’t very compelling. This is another horror movie about trauma, and unfortunately for the two lead characters, trauma is all there is to them and they are left feeling quite underwritten. I appreciated the psychological focus, and there are some ideas with potential, mainly the desire for control while ending up in a place with absolutely no control and no logic. Other than that, the themes are pretty basic, heavy handed and weren’t explored a whole lot. Finally, the movie attempts to somewhat explain the Backrooms and the lore. On one hand, I always thought that the Backrooms is at its most effective when it remains a mystery and the vibes of the setting are where it shines the most. On the other hand, the history and lore is thrown in towards the end in a conversation or two that feels jarring and doesn’t provide enough context. It’s either giving too much explanation or not enough explanation. Despite this, I liked the movie overall. It has a steady start and really picks up when Chiwetel Ejiofor discovers the Backrooms. The scenes set inside the Backrooms is where the movie shines the most, the concept itself is scary and the environment is immersive. So much of the movie can be characters moving through the rooms and exploring, sometimes running from something they might hear. In the third act, the actual horror scenes lack the eeriness of the first two acts, and becomes more conventional, but I thought it was still effective for what it was.

Backrooms really benefits from a good cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a really great and committed performance here. Even when some of the writing he’s working with isn’t the best, he sold it incredibly well and was compelling to watch. Renate Reinsve plays a therapist, and while she’s good, it felt like she wasn’t given a ton to work with. Her character is given backstory for sure, but even those moments felt like they were taking a backseat to Ejiofor exploring the Backrooms (which was the most interesting part of the film), and she doesn’t have much of an arc. She really only gets to shine in the third act. Mark Duplass is good in his limited screentime too.

Kane Parsons’ direction for his first feature film is very good and assured. In pretty much all aspects, it’s a technically well done movie. Of course, it’s all the scenes within the Backrooms where the movie shines the most. The production design is outstanding, if you have any familiarity with the Backrooms, it’s pretty much perfectly translated here. There is such effective use of liminal spaces, and the aesthetic and colour grading are on point. The camerawork is great, everything is framed well, and there’s some amazing imagery and trippy visuals. The editing is effective, and the movie does an excellent job building up a dread-filled atmosphere that feels oppressive and claustrophobic. The sound design is incredible, and it’s accompanied by a very effective score (which Parson also worked on). The found footage sequences which take place through a camera are particularly great, and bring to mind the original Backrooms analog videos. When it does enter the third act and drops the analog approach, it’s less scary and doesn’t have quite the same vibe, but the environments remain impressive and I thought the camerawork was on point too.

Despite a familiar story and flawed writing, Backrooms is a solid horror movie, superbly directed, with an eerie atmosphere, amazing visuals and production design, and some great performances. I’m curious to see what Kane Parsons does next.