Internet Lore And The Haunted Past In ‘Backrooms’

Image by Gamaliel Espinoza Macedo via Flickr (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Upon the release of the ‘Backrooms’ trailer, excitement was entwined with concern online over how exactly it would be pulled off. The concept of ‘The Backrooms’ emerged from a 2019 4-Chan post, and over the last seven years has exploded in popularity, featured in YouTube short films and indie horror games alike - streams of ‘Backrooms’ themed games from creators such as CaseOh have amassed tens of millions of views in total. Eerie, endless yellow walls, suited scientists, and elusive entities are all recognisable to a fan of ‘The Backrooms’, but how does this translate to the big screen without feeling like a glitchy Instagram reel? What I believe makes this A24 release so compelling is how it reveals at its core a profound preoccupation with human nature and trauma, without watering down the spookiness of the liminal space.

Kane Parsons’ ‘Backrooms’ follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a middle-aged furniture store owner, as he grapples with the discovery of an impossible labyrinth beneath the store, and simultaneously, his eviction from his own home by his ex-wife. His therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve), is also processing her own past with her agoraphobic mother. Yes, it’s undeniable that contemporary horror is oversaturated by the trauma/grief metaphor, but ‘Backrooms’ brings a unique spin to it and remains entirely concentrated on this single space - the usual formula of the terrifying monster as a symbol for trauma disappearing once it has been fully confronted is not followed here. Intertwining pixelated camcorder footage with scenes of the Backrooms accomplishes so much at once: it maintains a sense of 90s nostalgia, it references several infamous Backrooms videos online (including Kane Parsons’ own YouTube videos under Kane Pixels), and it introduces a found footage element to the film that only ups the ante, particularly in one scene when Clark places the video camera down, only for it to be picked up by a much larger entity. Its selective use also prevents it from feeling too gimmicky, or too similar to narratives that came before.

Viewers and critics have speculated online about the future of horror and how more narratives may spring out of the Internet just like this one, that Gen Z films are beginning to make their mark, and a huge mark at that - ‘Backrooms’ is A24’s highest grossing film to date, and directed by Kane Parsons who hasn’t even turned 21 yet (I know, everyone’s heard it, and yes, it does make one feel unaccomplished). However, I have a slightly different tangent to go on. The one facet of this film and its discourse that has intrigued me the most is how the settings of horror are shifting to urban liminal spaces. Two of the most iconic gothic environments are the haunted house and the forest, which are still incredibly popular (see: Hokum), and I believe they share many of the same elements, but concepts like the Backrooms are simply tailored to the fears of the 2020s. Like your average terrifying forest, the Backrooms never seem to end, all beginning to merge endlessly, with no clear way out and the possibility of predators lurking within. 

There is also, however, a deep sense of nostalgia within the Backrooms: it is supposed to feel both familiar and unfamiliar, at once clearly dated but suspended outside of time. It’s interesting that the film itself is set in the 90s, because viewers feel a sense of nostalgia while watching the Backrooms preserve everything in memory. As much as there is a real sense of terror in this, like the grotesquely warped entities, Parsons makes it almost beautiful, especially with the original soundtrack and the violins in ‘Old Home Not Yet Built’. With the character of Mary, we are shown that to be free, we must let ourselves out of the past. Although this film has been wildly popular, there has been some criticism online that it did not follow the lore closely enough. Still, I would argue that this allows ‘Backrooms’ to be as original as it can be - and while some people were hoping for the ‘Bacteria’ entity from Parsons’ YouTube videos, the still-life entities are all the more uncanny. Aside from ‘Backrooms’ being an amazing interpretation of the original concept, the horror renaissance is in full swing, so here’s to hoping at least one film is actually acknowledged in awards season. 

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Edited by Lara Walsh, Co-Film & TV Editor