BACKROOMS Review: A Confident Feature Debut From Kane Parsons
Backrooms, directed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons, is a film that had people talking long before it hit theatres. If I'm being honest, I knew next to nothing about the Backrooms lore. I was aware of the original 4chan post and Kane's YouTube videos, but that's about where my knowledge ended. Looking back, I think that was actually the best way to experience it. I'd imagine a lot of people in Trinidad are in the same boat, and going in without years of internet lore hanging over your head makes for a really interesting first watch.
Over the past few years, YouTube has quietly become a launching pad for a new generation of filmmakers. Creators like the Philippou brothers, Markiplier, Curry Barker, and Kane Parsons have shown that compelling stories don't need to begin in Hollywood. That's one of the reasons I was so excited for Backrooms. As someone who enjoys seeing fresh voices break into the industry, it's hard not to root for young creators who are carving out their own path. Let’s head into the review.
The story follows Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a former architect who now owns a struggling furniture store in San Jose, California. Still reeling from the breakdown of his marriage and battling alcoholism, Clark is a man searching for stability in a life that seems to be falling apart. Alongside him is his therapist, Mary Kline, played by Renate Reinsve, who helps him navigate those struggles while quietly confronting unresolved trauma from her own childhood.
Both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve deliver strong performances, bringing a great deal of authenticity to their characters. Clark is an easy protagonist to invest in, with Ejiofor convincingly portraying a man whose life is slowly slipping through his fingers. Reinsve also does a solid job as Mary, giving the character enough depth to feel like more than just Clark's therapist.
Once our main man Clark enters the Backrooms, the film really starts to pick up. The Backrooms are essentially a distorted reflection of reality, where familiar objects and environments are recreated imperfectly. It's an unsettling concept that constantly plays with your sense of familiarity, making the world feel both recognisable and completely foreign.
If you're going into Backrooms expecting every question to be answered, you may come away disappointed. In my opinion, it's a film that rewards viewers who are willing to engage with its wider lore and piece together its mysteries for themselves. Casual audiences, on the other hand, may leave the theatre feeling more confused than satisfied, and that's a completely understandable reaction.
What the film may lack in exposition, it more than makes up for with its atmosphere and exceptional production design. The Backrooms are the ultimate example of a liminal space: environments meant to be passed through rather than lived in. Endless corridors, empty office spaces, flickering fluorescent lights, and strangely familiar objects combine to create a world that feels both recognisable and fundamentally off. By stripping these everyday spaces of their purpose and stretching them into infinity, Kane Parsons crafts a setting that's consistently fascinating to explore and unlike anything else in mainstream horror.
What impressed me most, however, was Parsons' restraint as a director. Rather than feeling the need to constantly explain the world or rely on a barrage of jump scares, he trusts the environments to do much of the storytelling. The film is at its strongest when it simply allows the audience to sit with the unsettling nature of the Backrooms, letting the mystery become just as important as the horror itself.
Backrooms is a film I can easily see dividing audiences. Its refusal to provide clear answers and its reliance on atmosphere over traditional storytelling won't resonate with everyone, and I completely understand why some viewers may walk away feeling confused or even disappointed. For me, though, those qualities were part of its appeal. While it isn't without its flaws, I found it to be a genuinely enjoyable horror film with an intriguing premise, memorable world-building, and a filmmaker who clearly has a unique voice. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a strong feature debut, and I'm excited to see where Kane Parsons takes us next.
