I had never heard of Kane Parsons nor his YouTube series from a few years ago called The Backrooms, which was apparently inspired by edgelord internet forum discourse. All leading the 20 year-old wonderkid content creator to secure a deal with A24 to bring the concept of Backrooms to the big screen. Now with a much bigger budget and a script written by veteran screenwriter Will Soodik (Homeland, Westworld), Backrooms is a remarkably creative dive into abstract psychological horror.
I’m a physical reactor to film and especially horror, so I know I’m thoroughly intrigued when I’m sitting up with my jaw dropped, tilting my head back and forth as I watch the batshit bananas imagery of this film unfold. It honestly gave me hope that there is still a lot of cinematic originality out there that has yet to be tapped into. And it’s all effectively brought to life by stunning cinematography and production design, as well as a killer score that holds down the dread vibes the entire time.
Backrooms is anchored by two excellent performances by Renate Reinsve and especially, Chiwetel Ejiofor, who showcases impressive range as a protagonist whose psyche is incrementally spiraling out of control. The literal connection to psychology per his relationship to his therapist (Reinsve) is a bit on-the-nose and some of the character backstory details that justify his descent into madness ring a bit hollow, given the reality-shattering stakes.
But it’s small potatoes when a film is this original and engrossing. Backrooms is a type of film that I look forward to watching with someone fresh to observe their reactions and discuss with them after. I hope young Parsons has a lot more bonkers horror ideas in the hopper. And I’m sure A24 already has him on lock to add to their stable of up-and-coming Gen Z horror auteurs.
