The Backrooms is one of the most popular internet horror concepts of recent years. What started as a simple image of an endless yellow room soon evolved into a massive online phenomenon, with fans creating theories, stories, and an entire universe around it.
Director Kane Parsons, who gained recognition through his widely popular Backrooms YouTube series, was entrusted with bringing this unique concept to the big screen. Naturally, expectations were sky-high among horror fans.
While the film successfully recreates the creepy atmosphere of the Backrooms, does it deliver a story that lives up to the concept? Let’s find out.
Story
Set in the 1990s, the film follows Clark, the owner of a struggling pirate-themed furniture store. Dealing with financial troubles, marital issues, and declining mental health, Clark unexpectedly discovers the mysterious Backrooms hidden beneath his store.
As he begins exploring the endless maze-like space, he becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering its secrets. However, instead of focusing on the mysteries of the Backrooms themselves, the story gradually shifts its attention toward Clark’s personal struggles and mental state.
What secrets are hidden inside the Backrooms? What exists within its endless hallways? The rest of the story attempts to answer these questions.
Performance
Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers a decent performance as Clark. He does a good job portraying the character’s emotional struggles and declining mental state. However, the screenplay does not provide him with enough material to create a strong emotional connection with the audience.
Renate Reinsve is effective as Clark’s therapist and performs her role well whenever she appears on screen. Although her character plays an important part in the story, the film does not explore her role deeply enough.
The rest of the cast perform adequately in their respective roles. However, the film offers very little scope for the actors to showcase their full potential, as the narrative focuses more on the Backrooms concept than on meaningful character development.
Analysis
Backrooms starts on a promising note with a found-footage-style opening that immediately grabs the audience’s attention. However, once the film shifts its focus to Clark’s personal life, the narrative begins to feel slow and stretched. Things become interesting again when Clark discovers the mysterious hidden door leading to the Backrooms.
The film’s biggest strength is undoubtedly its atmosphere. Kane Parsons does an excellent job recreating the creepy and unsettling world that fans have imagined for years. The practical sets deserve special praise, as the endless yellow hallways feel authentic, immersive, and visually impressive. The cinematography is also outstanding, with wide-angle shots and fish-eye lenses making the Backrooms feel vast, strange, and deeply uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, the film struggles where it matters most. Instead of making the Backrooms the main attraction, the screenplay spends most of its time exploring Clark’s depression, marital problems, and personal issues. As a result, the mysterious world of the Backrooms often feels like a backdrop rather than the heart of the story.
The horror elements are also disappointing. The film constantly hints that something dangerous may be hiding inside the Backrooms, but the tension rarely pays off. There are very few genuinely frightening moments, making the horror aspect surprisingly weak.
Another major issue is how the film handles the Backrooms mythology. One of the most terrifying aspects of the original concept is that once someone enters the Backrooms, escaping is almost impossible. Here, Clark can leave and return whenever he wants, which removes much of the fear and suspense that made the concept so fascinating in the first place.
The film also teases a found-footage approach early on but quickly abandons it. Considering Kane Parsons’ success with his YouTube Backrooms series, this feels like a missed opportunity.
In the end, Backrooms feels less like an adaptation of the famous internet horror phenomenon and more like a psychological drama that simply happens to take place inside the Backrooms.
Verdict
Backrooms impresses with its atmosphere and visuals, but weak storytelling and a lack of genuine tension hold it back. Despite its fascinating concept and strong visual execution, the film ultimately ends up as a disappointing experience.
A visually impressive horror film that captures the look of the Backrooms but loses its way when it comes to story, suspense, and scares.
Rating: 2.25/5
