Backrooms, Dining Rooms, and Never Being Able to Escape Stranger Things

To the film’s benefit and to its discredit, something is not quite right. Something is off.

Liminal Spaces have been the internet’s obsession since 2019. This began to gain popularity on message boards of sites like Reddit and 4Chan. This is an idea that we might all be familiar with, though we might not know why. A Liminal Space is somewhere you have a sense of nostalgia for or a connection with, but can’t quite put your finger on why, or to what memory you are connected. It is a place between. But between what? That question lingers with you, creating a sense of eeriness. This idea has obviously connected with audiences, as A24’s Backrooms has been a massive box-office success in just a few days.

It has broken several box-office records, including being the largest original horror movie debut in history. (Report here.) The movie made $118 million globally in its opening weekend, on a reported production budget of $10 million. That is astounding. Even more incredible is that this is Kane Parsons’ debut feature film at the age of 20. I do not think I could have made a film this good at that age. Parsons is a bit of a founding father in the liminal world, as he made a series of short films on YouTube as a teenager that were the main inspiration for this movie.

As long as it complements the story, I am a huge fan of characters walking around for extended periods without dialogue. (ie, Blade Runner: 2049) Backrooms triumphs in this regard! It is shocking to me that this movie has been so well received, as, to a general audience, it is a movie where nothing happens for long stretches. It is the type of film where, right as something crazy is about to happen, it cuts away. This, in part, helps to faithfully adapt the concept in a non-Hollywood way. There are huge portions in the first 2 acts where a character walks around inside the Backrooms, with little to no dialogue. These were some of the best scenes in the film, as you can connect with the characters with thoughts of, “What is this place, and what is happening?”

Parsons’ directing superbly blends comfort with a looming, unsettling feeling. The shot composition is outstanding. I loved the way the framing wasn’t perfect. Parts of the scene would be just out of shot, or a low angle (normally meant to convey power) would be used to show things that hold no meaning. I cannot believe a 20-year-old directed this movie; it feels extremely professional. Many shots felt as meticulous as those from directors like Matt Reeves (The Batman) or David Fincher (Seven).

Another aspect that shines brightly would be the staging. It may seem small, but think about it. How do you make actors walk around an endless set of interior hallways and make it interesting? Well, Parsons and crew found the answer. With a mixture of great cinematography and staging, when the characters are just walking in the Backrooms are, again, among the most suspenseful scenes in the movie.

What helps us care about these moments is the well-written characters. The story gives us time to care about our lead, specifically, Chuck. He is played marvelously by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange, 12 Years a Slave). His performance mirrors the Backrooms itself. This is my favorite performance of the year, so far. Ejiofor is able to take what is on page, a horror cliche of a guy getting infatuated by something and losing touch with reality, and make it something special. His therapist, played by Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), is a great balance to this. Trying to make sense of what doesn’t. A moment between the two of them at a dining room table really showed off their ability to work synergistically.

What glues the film together would be the score. It was composed by 2 people, one of them being director Parsons! He is quite the talented boy. I’m no musician, so forgive me, I don’t know all the terms, but it was great. The score captures everything the film is trying to articulate. It is subtle but also right in your face. The instruments’ echoiness works its way under your skin. I put the score on while I was walking around my neighborhood, and it really showed me how good it is at feeling melancholy, but also that feeling of being watched. My favorite track is called “Furniture Lamnet.”

What makes the concept of Liminal Spaces work in general is that you can’t fully explain what it is. This is kind of where the film starts to fall apart. It either needed to have a huge exposition drop at the end, explaining in detail what the Backrooms were and how they worked, or fully leave it open to interpretation. It makes the mistake of trying to find a happy medium. Because of that, you are left unsatisfied, and the small details we are given feel unearned.

They set up right from the beginning that some sort of government or private research group knows about the Backrooms. This entity, visually and through its dialogue, felt exactly like Netflix’s Stranger Things did with the same idea. (Ew, Stranger Things mentioned. Yucky.) We needed more explanation for this group, or remove them from the movie entirely.

Speaking of small details, this next paragraph could destroy my credibility, but I have to include it. This will probably be the most nitpicky thing I’ve ever said. We are repeatedly shown that the movie is set in 1990. There is an exterior shot showing the therapist driving to Chuck’s workplace. In that shot, there is a 1st-generation Honda CR-V. This model of the CR-V was manufactured from 1997 to 2001. I instantly noticed it, as a 1998 Honda CR-V was my first car. The car did not exist when the movie took place. Given how specific and precise other details in the movie were, this did ruin my immersion, even if just for a split second. I know, I’m sorry, but someone’s got to defend the CR-V’s honor.

Another thing shown is the monster that lives in the Backrooms. I don’t know how else to put it, the reveal of the creature sucked. Thinking back to it, it is actually laughably bad. It’s such a shame, as up until this moment, every scene with the monster is awesome. It does such a good job without explicitly showing it, giving you just enough details to make out what you think it may look like. That really would have been such a good idea. By not showing it, each person watching the movie has their own interpretation of what the monsters look like. The big reveal completely dropped the ball and cost the movie a lot of goodwill.

Aside from a few poorly executed ideas, Backrooms is my favorite film of the year so far. It is not for everyone, and it is not jump scare horror. It is more of a psychological thriller that keeps you on edge and leaves you in shock, prompting you to ponder the film’s themes. This is easily the best directorial debut I have ever seen. Though you may get lost at times, I recommend that you at least stroll through the Backrooms and make sense of them yourself. Keep in mind, you may need to run.