The upcoming A24 horror film, 'Backrooms,' draws inspiration from a viral YouTube series, itself rooted in an internet creepypasta. The author, a long-time enthusiast of the Backrooms concept, expresses cautious optimism for this adaptation. Despite initial doubts stemming from past creepypasta film failures and the young age of its director, 17-year-old Kane Parsons, the recently released trailer has instilled confidence that the movie will authentically capture the essence of its source material.
The allure of the Backrooms lies in its depiction of familiar yet unsettling 'liminal spaces'—environments that feel abandoned by time and possess a strange, inexplicable atmosphere. The original concept, popularized during the pandemic, describes being trapped in an endless maze of mono-yellow rooms with buzzing fluorescent lights and damp carpets, with no obvious escape. The horror, in its purest form, stems from this pervasive sense of unease and the subtle implication of an unseen presence, rather than explicit monstrous threats. Many adaptations, however, have veered into conventional monster horror, which, according to the author, diminishes the unique tension and misses the foundational psychological terror that defines the Backrooms.
Kane Parsons, known as Kane Pixels on YouTube, has consistently delivered content that truly understands the nuanced horror of the Backrooms. His critically acclaimed nine-minute short film, 'The Backrooms (Found Footage),' effectively demonstrated his skill in building suspense and fear through atmosphere and subtle narrative, rather than relying on overt scares or detailed monster explanations. The A24 film's teaser trailer further reinforces this approach, showcasing an evolving liminal space without revealing any creatures. This restrained style, focusing on the environment as an entity that 'remembers' rather than actively 'builds' these rooms, suggests that the film will honor the original concept by prioritizing psychological dread and visual curiosity over conventional horror tropes, aiming to immerse viewers in a world where the true terror lies in the unknown and the inescapable.
Ultimately, the success of the 'Backrooms' film will hinge on its ability to sustain this understated, atmospheric horror, remaining true to the unsettling ambiguity that captivated so many. By focusing on the inherent unease of liminal spaces and the subtle psychological impact of being lost and alone, the movie can transcend typical jump-scare tactics and offer a deeply immersive and thought-provoking experience, demonstrating that true fear often lies not in what we see, but in what we can only imagine.
