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TechRadar Verdict
Combining found footage with traditional filmmaking, Backrooms perfectly encapsulates the terrifying nature of liminal spaces. Those who have long been obsessed with the horror lore should adore this.
Pros
- +
Incredible set design
- +
Great use of found footage; one of the best openers I've seen in a while
- +
Tense camerawork; sudden, quick turns leaves you on edge
- +
Kane Parsons has clearly put a lot of love into this
- +
Brilliant performances
- +
Some well-orchestrated scares
- +
Sound design is very effective
Cons
- -
Those who aren't a Backrooms mega fan might find it frustrating
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Backrooms is A24's new horror movie and one that I had been excited about for a long time. As someone who is obsessed with Kane Parsons' Backrooms YouTube series, I was intrigued to see how it would translate on the big screen. We had the chance to talk about Parsons' "fairly simple" story in an interview.
For me, it worked perfectly, but I do think it's important to acknowledge that I have been a fan of the very idea of Backrooms for a long time, which is why I stand behind my 5-star review. There are a few things that may be frustrating to newcomers, which I'll reference throughout.
First off, we need to talk about the sets. Backrooms is nothing without its iconic, empty, yellow location, and it was so exciting seeing it on this scale. It felt so vast and terrifying even in the early stages of exploration. But our introduction to them is my favorite part of the movie.
The movie wastes no time in throwing us straight in there with some grainy, shaky found footage. I firmly believe that this opening scene will go down in history with other horror greats, because it is the most anxiety-inducing few minutes as we follow a person trying to outrun a mysterious creature.
It's the instability of the found footage camera that makes this so tense. It whips around rapidly, makes jarring movements, and is a nightmare for anyone with motion sickness. Complete with shaky images, great sound design, and bizarre sets, this is an opener that sets the tone of the movie.
And then, it quietens down considerably. Backrooms turns into a slow burn after its tense opening sequence, something that may disappoint fans after it immediately gave us heart palpitations. But this gives us time to introduce us to Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his therapist, Dr Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), the movie's excellent central characters. There's also another stellar performance from Creep's Mark Duplass, in a role I won't spoil for you.
We learn about Clark's difficult past, especially with his ex-wife. As a furniture store owner and failed architect, his job perfectly mirrors the strange Backrooms he finds himself in, after he clips through a wall in his store and ends up surrounded by yellow walls and ominous buzzing from the lights above. At first, he finds it fascinating and attempts to map the place out so he can show Mary.
Unfortunately, Mary is skeptical when he shows up to his next session with a crudely drawn map. Clark insists he'll bring back proof, enlisting two of his employees to go into the Backrooms with him with a video camera, giving us enough time to brace ourselves for more creepy found footage.
Indeed, any scenes involving the shaky handheld camera are by far the scariest. I was glad that Backrooms leaned into that grainy, low-quality footage that makes these liminal spaces feel ten times worse. On the flip side, though, I was relieved the movie doesn't entirely rely on found footage, as that may have been too jarring.
This is the movie that long-time fans have been waiting for. It's a beautiful, eerie expansion on Parson's already impressive lore. Much praise has been given to him for his use of the 3D modelling software Blender, and he gets to showcase those talents here. He is currently A24's youngest director, too, but it certainly never feels amateurish.
Backrooms has some well-orchestrated jumps, but if you're expecting loads of them, it won't happen here. Much of the dread and horror comes from the camera either creeping towards something or moving around erratically, both of which are very effective.
The movie also stays true to A24's brand of creepy, slow burns. It works very well here, in my opinion, but there may not be enough to hold the attention of non-Backrooms enthusiasts. In my eyes, though, it was everything I could have hoped for and more.
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