Skyler Orton
Have you ever walked through a mall that’s on its last legs? A place that’s technically still open but there’s uncomfortably few people. Or perhaps you’ve had a long layover at an enormous airport where somehow you’re still one of the only people there. Or maybe you’ve watched endless videos of urban explorers trekking into abandoned theme parks.
If any of those experiences sound familiar to you, then you’re probably familiar with the idea of liminal space. Understanding this idea is key to what makes Backrooms, the debut feature film from 20-year-old Kane Parsons, so intriguing and quietly horrifying.
Liminal space is literally defined as locations that you aren’t meant to linger in for very long. Places like empty parking lots, stairwells, hotel corridors, and waiting rooms are all key examples of liminal spaces. Online, however, these spaces have been popularized by horror enthusiasts and for good reason. There’s something eerie about the aesthetic, something that doesn’t feel quite right. In fact, a close analogy is an “uncanny valley” effect but for physical spaces instead of people. It’s clear something is wrong but it’s just subtle enough to put you on edge.
The viral internet phenomenon known as The Backrooms (the initial inspiration for Parson’s YouTube short films as well as his feature) leverages this inherent creepiness. It was inspired by a thread on the anonymous messaging platform 4chan back in 2019 in a viral post that defined The Backrooms as a place outside of reality filled with “nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.”
This concept was popularized when, at age 16, Kane Parsons created his first Backrooms video using nothing but 3D modeling software to create a truly unsettling found footage short film. From there spun out years of additional content that built out the lore for a truly fresh and original horror universe that all led us to his debut film funded by indie film boutique A24.
Backrooms stars Chiwetel Eijofar as Clark, an emotionally unstable failed architect who now manages a furniture store. It’s here that he discovers an entrance into the Backrooms and attempts to map out the sprawling maze. While it’s difficult not to spoil her role, Renate Rensive (fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Sentimental Value) also plays a major part as Clark’s therapist that simply can’t be missed. These two performances are the actors at the top of their game and their talents are not wasted here. As much as it is the liminal space aesthetic that anchors the movie, their performances give it the needed human aspect that elevates it above the original short film series.
The plot is immediately interesting and gripping, but that isn’t the true highlight of the film. If you’re interested in Backrooms chances are it’s because of that haunting liminal space aesthetic that made the concept into the global phenomenon it is. And let me tell you that all of that is there to a genuinely astounding degree. Parson’s original series uses impressive 3D modeling to realize The Backrooms and it definitely works for what it is. However the practicality of the sets in this film adds an entirely new layer of horror that never was present for me in the original shorts.
The production team built an impressive 30,000 square feet of set for the film and the enormous investment shows in every frame set in The Backrooms. While the YouTube shorts are undeniably effective, the awkwardness and limitations of blender animation can easily take you out of the horror. These enormous practical sets highlight the mind bending geometry of The Backrooms and made the entire film feel truly immersive.
While the production design inside of The Backrooms is obvious, the more mundane locations deserve praise as well. Every location shown in the movie has enormous detail and effort put into them. Many like Clark’s store or the surrounding shopping center even feel like liminal spaces within themselves adding to the ambience of the entire film. It’s clear that Parsons and the entire production team had an eye on the small details present in every shot and it shows.
One of the most controversial aspects in the leadup to the movie was how it would handle the shift from less structured found footage horror to a professionally shot film. After all The Backrooms as a concept was defined by shaky cam found footage while Backrooms (with the exception of a handful of key sequences) is a traditionally shot film through and through. Some fans may argue that this detracts from the horror, but in my opinion a traditional structure lends itself very well to the surrealist architecture of the setting. By grounding the film in that way it allows the audience to just be drawn into the absurdity of The Backrooms and the longer the film spends in there the more uncomfortable it is to watch.
Speaking of architecture, the decision to make the lead character a failed architect is a stroke of genius by Parsons and writer Will Soodik. The geometry and architecture of The Backrooms is intentionally baffling and impractical so there’s a natural draw for Clark. Clark’s psychological fixation on the architecture there is one of the focal points of the film and ends up creating a really gripping dynamic.
In fact the story overall has a lot of the complexity usually associated with the modern “elevated horror” popularized by directors like Ari Aster or Robert Eggers. There’s definitely a lot more than meets the eye with this film and I can’t wait to see more detailed analyses on what certain things truly mean. This isn’t just in terms of the wider Backrooms lore but I think there’s more thematic depth and metaphor to examine here.
Don’t think that Backrooms will skip out on the moment-to-moment horror in exchange for that elevated psychological horror. There’s some great and well-built moments filled with jumpscares a plenty. The mid-film switch to found footage was one of the highlights of the film and is everything you would expect from a Kane Parsons Backrooms video. In fact it had some real visceral reactions from the people in my theater to the point where I questioned whether or not somebody was going to walk out. If that’s not a huge endorsement of quality for a horror movie I don’t know what is.
It goes without saying that audiences can’t get enough of Backrooms as well. Parsons at the young age of 20 has created a feature film that is now outperforming The Mandalorian and Grogu (the first theatrical Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019) at the box office. And that’s without mentioning that horror obviously has more of a niche appeal when compared to box office juggernauts like Star Wars and that theater audiences are at an all time low.
I’ve said a lot about Backrooms and there’s lots more I can’t give away. But the more I reflect on the movie what sticks with me is just how eerie a well-shot liminal setting can be especially on the big screen. The plot is great (albeit with a somewhat messy conclusion) and the performances are fantastic but what I really remember is just how uncomfortable and oppressive the environment effortlessly is. I also can’t help but marvel at just how far this concept has taken itself. A picture posted to a 4chan board seven years ago inspired a YouTube series created by a 16-year-old in his bedroom that turned into one of the best horror films of the year. If you enjoy uncomfortable mind bending horror give Backrooms a try I don’t think you’ll regret it.
