As a Backrooms fan I went into this with high expectations. I’m a fan of not just Kane Parsons’ Backrooms series but also other iterations such as the Extended Wiki Lore and the Original Concept. So I was setting the bar very high.
And that bar didn’t disappoint. After around 30 seconds I had tears in my eyes. Not because of anything emotional on screen that early, but because seeing the Backrooms on the big screen was — as Clark says — beautiful. It was everything I’d hoped they would be snd more. Those mono-yellow walls and the hum-buzz lights. I couldn’t believe I was finally seeing it. And seeing the original location from the photo recreated … that meant a lot to me as a fan of all things Backrooms.
As we know from the trailers, the movie is a mix of found footage and cinematic scenes — although more of the latter. Both worked extremely well and the transitions between the two felt natural. The color grading was gorgeous — both in the Backrooms and out. Even the lower quality of the found footage sections still looked amazing on the big screen as they felt authentic.
And actually that was one thing I found while watching the movie. It felt authentic. The characters felt well grounded and their respective actors played their roles wonderfully. Interaction between them felt natural and not forced at all. This appeared to be a group of actors who worked well together. I also found myself caring about the characters.
If there was only one negative I could find in the movie, it was that some of the scenes outside the Backrooms seemed to go a little long. But I also think it might have been a more personal thing — as I just wanted to see those mono-yellow rooms. Hey I’m a Backrooms fan-girl. What can I say?
And those rooms, and hallways and spaces. So many liminal spaces! I just looked at them all in awe. Not only are there traditional Backrooms-type spaces, but there were also some very different and unique spaces. I loved that!
There was even one area that we only saw for a few seconds that looked like “The End” from the Extended Lore (and no that doesn’t mean there are levels in the movie, it was a single room – maybe an intentional tribute, maybe coincidence).
Of course with the Backrooms the way they are — said to be 600 million square miles in the original text — we’re not going to see everything. I found myself thinking “I want to know what’s through that door” or down that turn. But that’s me again, wanting to explore all of those spaces.
In fact there was one line that Clark said which resonated with me because it was so similar to something I say that I almost couldn’t believe it. Not exactly the same, but very much along the same lines. I will often say that “The Backrooms are where I’m meant to be” as I feel a connection to them that I can’t explain. He said something very similar.
Even outside of the Backrooms there was often a very liminal feel. As someone who also loves liminal spaces and does liminal photography from time to time, I really could appreciate that.
There were a couple of scenes that were very different to what we have seen Kane do before. But damn they worked! They were very ‘Backroomsy’ in nature. And also showed the scope of Kane’s directing abilities and that he is able to adapt to different scenes and on-screen situations.
The sound and music were top notch. Kane and Edo Van Breemen done a great job composing tracks to suit various scenes. There are also a couple of familiar tracks and some motifs that fans of the series will recognise. And one inclusion that Backrooms fans everywhere will be happy about (but now makes my misinformation guide seem incorrect!). The balance of sound and music seemed to fit well, while the soundscape was effective and sounded great in the cinema.
Of course I can’t do a review of Backrooms without mentioning the horror aspect. Now I’m not often the best person to say what’s good and bad horror. Because I’m one of those people who rarely gets scared even though horror is one of my favourite genres. But I will say that there was a lot of times that I was on the edge of my seat with what would happen next. That doesn’t happen very often to me when I’m watching a horror movie.
From start to finish I literally had my eyes glued to the screen. Even when I grabbed some popcorn from the chevron wallpaper bag, I didn’t look away. So enthralled and entranced by this movie was I, that I just couldn’t look away.
There is no doubt that this movie was a 10/10 for me and I’d give it an 11 if I could. Fans of Kane’s series will definitely love it. But I also think there will be enough for fans of other Backrooms lores and even general horror fans to go away from this movie with it living rent free in their head for a while. You’ll go away asking questions and wanting to know more!
I know it’s all I have been thinking about the last few hours.
I’ll be back seeing Backrooms many more times — in fact planning on seeing it 19 times.
Thank you A24 for believing in Kane Parsons. And thank you Kane Parsons for making the Backrooms movie we always hoped for. He has such a promising career ahead of him and I only wish him the very best with what he does.
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