20-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Kane Parsons brings “Backrooms,” A24’s feature film take on his viral video series, to the big screen this weekend and reviews for the title are now trickling in.
Current productions have the film set for a $40-50 million domestic box-office debut, and now reviews suggest it should go over well as critics are liking the title – it’s currently clocking in at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes from 34 reviews, along with a 74/100 on Metacritic.
The original urban legend and ‘creepypasta’ short film is set in the 1990s and sees a man fall into another dimension where he wanders through an unsettlingly yellow, empty and labyrinthine office space – one that may be home to otherworldly beings. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass lead the cast of the film adaptation.
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“It favours opacity, half-glimpsed creatures and a steady sense of unease over crowd-pleasing jumps, and is sure to spark endless debate and interpretations among those who aren’t bored silly by it.” – Jamie Graham, Empire
“This is a visually stunning nightmare though and props must be given to cinematographer Jeremy Cox, and production designer Danny Vermette for a dazzling magical mystery tour through this prison with no exit.” – Pete Hammond, Deadline
“YouTuber Kane Parsons makes his feature directing debut with this icily brilliant and genuinely disturbing conceptual horror film based on his web series, and scripted by Will Soodik.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“‘Backrooms’ is a movie more likely to blow young minds, but remember the first horror movie you saw that changed who you were? This movie will be that for a lot of people.” – Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire
“As an atmospheric freakout, “Backrooms” is extraordinarily effective. You sit back and settle into the enigmas and the grunge textures, knowing that the movie is going to keep raising your eyebrows.” – OWen Gleiberman, Variety
“Debut director Kane Parsons assuredly harnesses the creepy, mind-bending potential of this liminal concept, delivering an original horror that has both the scares and the smarts.” – Nikki Baughan, Screen
“If the film captures something of the concept’s intriguing unease, its underbaked storytelling made me wonder if some spooky ideas might be better left as whispers in the dark.” – Angie Han, THR
“While the movie finds a potentially insightful pathway to a story, it can’t bridge its very physical, wall-to-wall-carpeted labyrinth with Clark’s mental state. A movie with so many doors ultimately can’t find the right one.” – Jake Coyle, Associated Press
“It is not as if Backrooms is all journey and no destination, but it would help if someone involved in the production had a beyond-basic idea as to why anyone should venture from one room to the next in the first place.” – Barry Hertz, Globe & Mail
The reviews come as Duplass has pushed back on social media claims that Parsons had a ghost director on the film. He says on social media: “When I was there, Kane was 100% in control… more so than many directors 3x his age.” He added Parsons was “intensely prepared”.
“Backrooms” runs 110 minutes, is R rated, and opens in cinemas on Friday.
