Photo via IMDb
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
The horror genre is riding a heater of creativity that is generating some of the most talked about films so far this year. “Backrooms” is the latest entry, originating in 2019 on the anonymous imageboard website 4chan, which then exploded into mainstream popularity on YouTube. This is the kind of horror that messes with the psyche, plunging viewers into a rabbit hole of deranged curiosities.
Owning and operating a furniture store has been anything but a dream for Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a lonely divorcee with more debt than profits who drowns his sorrows in a bottle every night. His mundane life is instantly changed when he discovers some sort of interdimensional doorway in the basement of his store that leads him into an endless space of interconnecting rooms and hallways. When he goes missing, his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve) remembers his manic ramblings, following him into this unknown territory, and what she finds defies reality and sanity.
20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons shows he’s not only capable of making a feature length horror film but also making it extremely well. The lack of filmmaking experience for the writer/director appears nonexistent as he deftly crafts a unique type of psychological horror. He sets the tone from the very beginning with an opening scene of found footage that instantly elevates the tension to a ten, capping it off with a jump scare that viewers visibly and audibly react in shock.
Kane drew his inspiration from playing a video game called “Portal,” which is all about solving puzzles to get from room to room. He then spins this concept into a nightmarish atmosphere of psychological terror, liminal space paranoia, and immersive production design. Right away, the set design he employs of drab yellow walls in an endless maze of odd architectural design under the constant buzz of fluorescent lighting creates a heavy feeling of something that is not quite right. Kane accentuates this feeling by preying on the fear of the unknown as ominous sounds occur just beyond the sightline or having the camera hovering over shadowy areas, forcing the audience to wonder what could be lurking in the dark. His use of a handheld camera producing images consistent with the timeframe of 1990 that the movie is set, not only enhances the authenticity of the story, but also further builds the tension with shaky, unpredictable camera movements that keep the audience on edge. Even the score is hauntingly eerie, adding a distorted reality vibe to the atmosphere.
While his filmmaking technique designed to frighten and unbalance is on point, Kane does not neglect the storytelling aspect of the movie. He cleverly heightens character development through therapy sessions for the store owner’s character and flashbacks for the therapist character, providing the audience with much needed background on these characters to develop a better connection and understanding of their motives. However, while Kane connects these rooms with personal trauma, he stumbles in the final act of the film with a drastic tonal shift that attempts to explain it all without committing to any real answer. Then it simply ends without a satisfying resolution that will undoubtedly divide audiences.
The acting from both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve truly help to elevate this production. The incredible Oscar nominee from “12 Years a Slave” provides a layered performance of complexity, slowly revealing a spreading darkness in his psyche throughout the film that erodes his grip on reality. He elegantly displays the effect of loneliness through his facial expressions and erratic behavior that appeals to viewer sympathy. Renate is also an Oscar nominated actress, earning her nomination earlier this year for her outstanding performance in “Sentimental Value.” The Norwegian actress provides her character with a believable measure of control and stability that authentically underscores her persona as a capable therapist. This façade begins to crumble as she remembers childhood trauma that had her yearn for structure and predictability as an adult. So, when thrust into this very unpredictable, unstructured world, she understandably loses her footing as those memories flood to the surface, making the audience feel the same sense of panic she begins to experience.
The vibe from this film is reminiscent of 2000’s “The Cell” mixed with “Severance” on AppleTV. With films like “Hokum,” “Obsession,” and now “Backrooms,” the horror genre has had a terrific month and proves how much audiences crave fresh ideas over the familiar packaging of sequels, prequels, and remakes. See this slow burn, atmospheric spatial terror in theaters, but if convoluted endings tend to irritate you, then this one might not be for you.
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