The official Backrooms teaser trailer is here!
The trailer shows several shots of what appears to the same room as it changes its appearance until it is unrecognisable from how it originally was. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character is heard telling Renate Reinsve’s character about a place he has found.
I found something
I found a place
It’s massive in there
It just goes on and on and on
All these rooms
This place built them
Actually more like it remembers them
And the more times it remembers something
The less it does
Visuals
Before the trailer was released I joked that I wanted to see the mono-yellow rooms. And that’s what we ended up getting. We don’t see any of the characters on screen. But we are instead given a look at what is most iconic to the Backrooms (along with the wallpaper itself).
The way that the single room can be seen changing gradually so that it no longer looks the way it originally was is intriguing. Although the use of a rolling effect instead of a fading one is an interesting choice as that effect usually indicates going down (such as in a lift) — but I don’t see there being layers (or levels) of the same room/s. The change in appearance implies some kind of sentience to The Backrooms. That it creates the room from people’s memories — perhaps from people who have been trapped there before.
It also appears to tie in with the original tagline of “Everything Must Go” as the original memory or look of the room is lost the longer time passes.
The ending shot of The Backrooms — or The Complex looks beautiful. If you zoom in you can see there is the chevron wallpaper on the wall. The design feels like it is a nod to the original image, with segmented walls that don’t reach the ceiling as well as the wooden strip along some of the walls.
According to director Kane Parsons, the shots of the changing room were rendered in Blender. While the shot of The Complex at the end was taken on-set. Expect in this case to see the location of the last shot in the movie.
A criticism I had with the poster was that the text/logo was too plain. Although simple appears to be best for Backrooms, using a common font (appears to be Helvetica) seems a bit too simple.
Dialogue
One of the highlights for me was the dialogue. The words describe The Backrooms perfectly. I love the line about them going on and on and on”. The last four lines are the ones that hit the most. They imply that The Backrooms themselves are sentient. I felt that it was also implying that they take something away from whoever enters — perhaps it is taking away a memory from the person inside when it transforms the rooms.
Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s voice over sounds amazing. The way that he describes what he found and what it is — it makes you feel on edge. He sounds fascinated by what he found but tells about such in an intense manner. I did feel that his delivery of the final two lines lacked the intensity of the rest of the dialogue. It seems like they are said as an afterthought, but the tone seems a touch on the whimsical side.
We only get to hear 5 words from Renate Reinsve, but her voice definitely sounds like the voice of a psychiatrist.
Sound
The sound in the trailer gives off a somewhat uncomfortable vibe with the use of subtle music at the start combined with uneasy effects. The whooshing effect when the room changes made me question this again — as like the visual, it is a sound that feels like moving downwards. The nearer we get to the last version of the room, the sounds become louder and more intense.
At the end of the trailer when we see the view of The Complex, we hear a familiar sound of hum-buzz fluorescent lighting until it flickers out to the black title.
Overall
Overall I really liked the trailer. I feel that it’s familiar for us fans and people who know about The Backrooms, while still leaving us with questions. On the other hand, it has enough in it to get a regular moviegoer interested (at the very least they would be curious about what all those mono-yellow walls are!).
I also think it’s good move that it’s not focusing on the horror aspect but instead feels more like a thriller. Horror is often associated with darker settings and an audience not familiar with The Backrooms may not think “yellow rooms” are horror enough. Choosing a thriller approach works better as it can leave a things open to interpretation.
I do have some concerns with how Chiwetel‘s character is speaking to Renate’s character after he has entered The Backrooms. The idea of him being able to exit at will seems to take away from some of the horror. Although I have a feeling it won’t be that straight forward. Perhaps while he can exit at first, but the more he returns, the more difficult it is to leave — culminating in him not being able to leave at all.
Additionally, the synopsis was updated to read, “A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.” This implies that entry is via a door and not no-clipping. If it has been changed, I feel it will be a shame seeing it was part of the original text.
Concerns aside, I can’t wait to see what Kane has in store for us on May 29! It feels like it’s going to be something special.
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