Kane Parsons Expands 'Backrooms' Into 1h 50m Horror-Sci-Fi, Diluting Its Unease
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 28
Kane Parsons Expands 'Backrooms' Into 1h 50m Horror-Sci-Fi, Diluting Its Unease
6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 28
A New York Times review says Parsons’ feature adaptation turns the internet-born “Backrooms” concept into a larger but less effective film, arguing the added scale blunts the original creepiness.
The 1h 50m movie keeps the franchise’s fuzzy found-footage look and ’90s liminal imagery, but layers in 1990-set conspiracies, corporate cover-ups and mythology that the review calls bloated.
Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor play a therapist and a troubled furniture salesman drawn toward a portal into the backrooms, with Mark Duplass appearing in the film’s shadowy science plot.
The review frames the movie as an ambitious big-screen extension of Parsons’ 2022 web series, itself built on a decade-old 4chan creepypasta about eerie, empty yellow rooms.
Why is A24's record-breaking horror hit being called ambitious yet creatively baffling?
How did a viral internet meme become A24's biggest box office opening ever?