No jump scares, just unsettling atmosphere in ‘Backrooms’

Whether you understand the lore of “The Backrooms” phenomenon or not, A24’s latest horror flick guarantees that audiences will be unsettled by its claustrophobic atmosphere.

Released in the Philippines by CreaZion Studios, “Backrooms” is 20-year-old Kane Parsons’ debut feature-length film, bringing his interpretation of “The Backrooms” from the internet to the big screen.

Adapting his highly viral online series that caught Hollywood’s attention, the film is designed as a standalone piece for those unfamiliar with the lore, as the phenomenon itself is convoluted, with various interpretations of this extradimensional space eerily mirroring our own world.

Set in the ‘90s, the film’s narrative is carried by two of its leads: Clark (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), who grapple with their own struggles.

Clark is a failed architect who is divorced from his wife, owns a furniture store with no customers, and uses alcohol to process his pain, while Mary remains traumatized by her childhood, having been raised by a paranoid mother whose home was eventually demolished.

During a brownout, Clark attempts to locate the store’s fuse box when he discovers an invisible entry that leads to the Backrooms. Both terrified and fascinated by the space, Clark brings his employee Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett) to document the experience in an effort to convince Mary that the Backrooms are real.

Some time later, Mary investigates Clark’s abandoned store, where she eventually finds herself in the Backrooms and must confront her own past while trying to rescue her client.

Viewers expecting a clear explanation of the Backrooms’ origins will be left disappointed. Rather, it’s best to interpret “Backrooms” as a character piece that explores Clark’s and Mary’s traumas and how they manifest within this mysterious realm.

Parsons’ interpretation of the Backrooms is that they are a physical manifestation of people’s hazy memories of the past. As such, the differing ways Clark and Mary process their grief are mirrored in how they navigate the Backrooms, which seem endless and offer little means of escape.

The Backrooms contain several objects that resemble those from our world, many of which appear etched into the walls and floors. There are also humanoid beings that remain motionless, their faces wrapped and obscured. Some may interpret this as Parsons’ criticism of generative AI, wherein something or someone can be copied but stripped of its soul, which may explain why these figures appear eerily incomplete.

Much like the phenomenon itself, understanding the film’s story relies heavily on the audience’s interpretation of what the Backrooms are meant to represent based on the character arcs of Clark and Mary. This may frustrate viewers who are expecting a more straightforward narrative and a clearer sense of the author’s intentions.

What the film does best is establish a tone and atmosphere designed to keep audiences on edge with little reliance on cheap jump scares.

Much of Clark’s perspective is presented through found-footage sequences that effectively unsettle viewers through their grainy visuals and reliance on the characters’ point of view, preventing audiences from fully seeing what the characters are running from.

This tension continues in Mary’s storyline, which contains no found-footage scenes, as viewers are placed in her shoes, never quite certain what awaits around the next corner.

By establishing this atmosphere, viewers can see why filmmakers such as James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins helped produce the film that brought Parsons’ vision to life. He was only 18 years old when the project entered preproduction.

With the film grossing $141 million against its $10 million budget, Parsons has become the youngest filmmaker to direct a movie that reached No. 1 at the American box office.

While the script could have benefited from greater clarity for its audience, “Backrooms” delivers on its scares through its intricate production design and unnerving atmosphere — all from a filmmaker who is only 20 years old and whose career began on YouTube. Coupled with “Obsession,” directed by fellow YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker, the future of horror filmmaking looks promising and bright. Three stars out of five.