In recent years, YouTube creators have made the leap from viral sensations to acclaimed horror directors. Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me and Bring Her Back), Chris Stuckman (Shelby Oaks), and most recently Curry Barker (Obsession). The latest creator to make that transition is Kane Parsons for A24’s Backrooms.  

Set in the 1990’s, Backrooms follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor)  – a divorced furniture store owner and a failed architect. He regularly sees his therapist, Dr. Kline (Renate Reinsve), to help work through his frustrations and resentments. One night at his store when the lights go out, he notices a small crack of light in the wall. When he investigates, he passes through the wall and enters an endless empty room with faded yellow wallpaper and random piles of furniture. As Clark wanders through the backrooms, he discovers more and realizes he’s not the only person or thing navigating this space.  

Concerned for Clark, Dr. Kline visits the furniture store to find him and learns everything he’s told her about the backrooms is real. With Dr. Kline gets lost wandering through the backrooms; she hopes to find Clark and a way out of the mind-bending maze. 

Backrooms is a wild ride with a mix of curiosity, tension, anxiety, and fear. Parsons uses found footage/handheld camera shots that gives this film a YouTube series vibe like Blair Witch. There’s also some WTF visuals that are reminiscent of Annihilation. The confusion, surprise, and anxiety the audience feels mirrors what the characters experience as they navigate the backrooms. The intimate way Parsons shoots those scenes makes it feel like you’re stuck in the backrooms as well.   

What may or may not work for audiences is the lack of information about the backrooms. The story don’t explain the spatial anomalies, Phil’s role (played by Mark Duplass), or what is happening in the space. The best you get is an incredible monologue by Clark in the third act. It’s impossible to tell if Clark has figured out a few things or if he’s fallen deeper into the madness of the backrooms.  

Speaking of Clark, Chiwetel is fantastic in this. Clark is an unlikable character, an alcoholic, and terrible husband. Yet, Chiwetel’s performance makes Clark so much more relatable than he should be. Despite Clark having some pretty bad moments, he drops gems like “It’s like describing a dog to someone who’s never seen a dog, and them asking them to draw it.”  

Backrooms is a chilling horror film. The beauty of the film is how unpredictable the horror is, yet it’s focused enough on human’s natural fears; it works.  It’s not scary in the conventional way horror movies usually are; what’s not being seen is what’s terrifying. The little things make this film scary. Like random piles of clothes or the architecture not making sense. Or hearing footsteps and not seeing anyone. There are doors, and windows that don’t function how they should. Those little details are what makes Backrooms unsettling.  

Backrooms may not be for everyone, but the people who love unconventional horror films are going to appreciate how bizarre and random the film is.  

Grade: B+