The trend of’ “Backrooms” has come a long way from just being an internet sensation to being a full-budget film on the big screen. The original “Backrooms” image that sparked attention was posted on a website called 4chan in 2019. The photo was categorized into the liminal space subgenre, giving off a familiar, yet surreal vibe and making “Backrooms” feel like something where the unthinkable is possible.
A commenter attached a chilling backstory to the the mysterious, slightly crooked photo of an empty, yellowish office room with fluorescent lights captioned, “If you’re not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you’ll end up in the Backrooms, where it’s 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. God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you.”
With there being an already rising craze for liminal spaces, the “Backrooms” only became more of an interest to the internet. The photo of a real establishment at Rohner’s Home Furnishings caught the attention of some due to it being so unnaturally empty that it gave people an eerie sense of familiarity or nostalgia.
The movie, however, delivered the entire backroom aesthetic and vibe amazingly with the found footage analog quality and overall vibe in the movie. The movie often switched between VHS-style camera work and regular camera work, which added depth that wasn’t depicted in original interpretations of the “Backrooms” on social media. The jump scares also contributed to the overall aesthetic, although few were able to deliver.
The pacing, however, throughout the film was done quite poorly and left some of the audience confused. You really had to pay full attention and connect some not very clear context clues to understand what was happening. In terms of story, it was done quite well to depict the idea of a Backroom story especially through the scenery and acting which were the most prominent features of the movie. While the experience was enjoyable, and the director made sure a few good scares were thrown in, I would recommend this film to someone who hasn’t already heard of and doesn’t know what the Backrooms are.
The companies who’ve helped create the movie are A24, Atomic Monster, 21 Laps and Chernin Entertainment, and the movie was produced by 20-year old filmmaker Kane Parsons. The movie can be watched at AMC, Regal, Alamo Drafthouse, Showcase Cinemas, B&B Theaters, and Fandango. The final day for the running of “Backrooms” is scheduled to happen at major theaters on June 11.
