Backrooms review: Creepy, weird and confusing
To say I was unfamiliar with the story behind the Backrooms is an understatement. I hadn’t seen any of Kane Parsons‘ series of YouTube shorts (and wasn’t even aware of their existence until last week), and I learned about the lore and the term “creepypasta” during my deep dive afterwards. But thankfully, the film can be taken on its own without any prior knowledge.
Set in 1990, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, who discovers a portal in the basement of his furniture store that leads him to a complex of never-ending rooms and corridors. At first, it looks like an abandoned office space, but the more he explores, the weirder it gets. And it becomes clear that he is not alone there – something is stalking the maze of endless rooms.
First of all, I have to commend the production and sound design. The space, covered in an awful yellow wallpaper, is expansive, inventive and imaginative. There are doors in illogical places, corridors shoot off in random, unusual directions, and there’s furniture sinking into the floor as if it’s quicksand. It makes no sense, but it’s fascinating exploring this space. The sound design also deserves praise because you don’t see the monster much – just little glimpses mostly – so it’s all in the sound, the footsteps and breathing. That’s the stuff that freaks me out!
But this is a slow-burning horror with minimal scares. It’s all about being weird and unsettling and (increasingly) confusing. Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, as his therapist Mary, give excellent performances (particularly Ejiofor when Clark starts to mentally unravel), and there are two excellent found footage sequences that are the best moments in the movie. However, I found myself a bit bored at times and was disappointed by the bizarre ending and minimal explanation. It’s very open to interpretation and is sure to provoke discussion.
Those who have seen all (or some) of The Backrooms YouTube shorts will definitely get more out of this and know what to expect. However, it doesn’t assume that people have seen these and works fine on its own.
Despite my misgivings, I have the utmost respect for Parsons for producing a singular work at 20 years old. This feels like the start of a franchise, so it’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
In cinemas now