One of the summer’s most anticipated films was released in theaters on May 29, pulling audiences through the haunting maze that is A24’s Backrooms.
The movie follows Clark—played by Chiwetel Ejiofor—a furniture store owner seeking therapy in hopes of managing his alcoholism and a failed marriage.
His tense and unproductive sessions with his therapist Mary, portrayed by Renate Reinsve, do little to ease his despairing mood. As a result, he spends most of his time alone in his store.
Things take an unsettling turn when Clark discovers a strange wall hidden in the basement of his store.
As his curiosity overtakes him, Clark steps through the wall and finds himself in a scientific nightmare: an endless maze of disconnected spaces that defy all logic.
After confiding in Mary about what he calls the Backrooms, Clark disappears to investigate the space beyond his store.
Concerned, Mary seeks to find him, only to be trapped in the infinite labyrinth. With a sinister shadow roaming the corridors, desperation soon spirals into madness and narrows any chance there is of making it out.
Backrooms, the standout feature-film debut of director Kane Parsons, was an internet sensation long before it hit theaters.
Thanks to a simple photograph of an empty office that appeared on the web from out of nowhere, the imagination of thousands of internet users was fueled. Various theories and stories created the internet urban legend of Backrooms.
Most of the credit for bringing this phenomenon to the screen belongs to Parsons.
The twenty-year old spent years creating content inspired by the Backrooms on YouTube, where he built a large following fascinated by the unsettling universe.
From its advertisements to set props, down to the production design, the film’s aesthetic was carefully crafted to evoke a 90s sense of nostalgia that perfectly suits the concept.
Its visual identity is built around endless hallways, empty rooms, and spaces that feel both familiar and disconcerting, drawing on a feeling that is hard to sit with.
Instead of jump scares and gory violence, the film uses silence as its horror tool.
The most disturbing moments are the ones in which nothing seems to happen. The tension builds slowly, turning anticipation itself into a body-chilling experience.
While the movie effectively captures an idea that has circulated online for years, it also transforms it into something more personal.
The endless corridors become a reflection of broken memories and emotional wreckage, mirroring the distortion within Clark’s own mind.
Mary is arguably the film’s most compelling character. As a psychologist, her job is to help others confront the very things preventing them from moving forward.
Yet by entering the unknown in search of her patient, she ultimately places her own life at risk.
The film leaves viewers with fascinating questions.
Are the Backrooms a manifestation of Clark’s mind?
Is Clark a representation of those who find it easier to remain trapped in their pain than to accept responsibility and move forward?
Rather than provide easy answers, Backrooms invites the audience to construct their own interpretation of the film, long after the credits have rolled.
In the real world, there are no infinite yellow hallways or shadowy creatures waiting around every corner.
What does exist, however, is hostility, regret, and the inability to move beyond our troubles. Within those emotions is where the film finds its true horror.
