REVIEW: Backrooms - Can We Ever Escape It?

We generally don’t like rooms we are not familiar with, and this is what Backrooms is trying to harness this type of fear into a horror that is based on found footage of an unfamiliar extension of a business that is already struggling yet has something mysterious behind its walls. The era is perfect to brew the very sinister scare of limited technology to understand the secrets of the backrooms. It taps into our fear of the unknown as the characters go deep into chaotic rooms that is something we only experience in nightmares. It sets an ambiance of anxiety and hopelessness once they step in.

The Backrooms is based on an eerie web series which is made by the same director of film Kane Parsons. The original series was a cult hit and eventually adapted into film under A24. The choice to have it directed by Parsons was indeed a good choice as he can also interpret it close to the original giving it the same vibes as the original. There is also some nostalgia with the timeline that limits technology that can wash away the mystery of the lore. 

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark showed a built up rage and fear which is also rooted in his struggles as a business owner and failed architect, Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline showed the shift of being a professional therapist into a woman desperate to escape. The film also features Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell whose roles also play key roles to the plot. And this minimal casting helps in shaping the film to be very intimate and intense.

The rooms inside were indeed the key into setting the mood and triggers a claustrophobic effect that traps the viewers into the scene as it reveals its twists and monsters. This has also triggered my fear of hallways and rooms that look similar to the backrooms. And since we live and go through many rooms everyday, the familiar space is what makes it scary to us and can even trap us along with many fears. The question for the viewer and the characters is, are we able to escape it?

Backrooms is showing in PH cinemas June 3. Presented by Creation Studios and A24.