★★★★☆
Backrooms, while occupying a similar space to Obsession as a groundbreaking horror debut from a first-time filmmaker, ultimately follows more closely in the footsteps of films like Midsommar and Hereditary. It is elevated horror with a distinctly personal voice, tone, and story to tell.
At its core, Backrooms is a psychological horror film directed with an instinctive vision that seeks to explore and amplify fear, self-loathing, and self-acceptance. These themes are woven consistently throughout the film, giving the horror a deeper emotional foundation beyond its unsettling imagery and expanding mythology.
The film exists in that rare space where story and character are given equal weight. While the ever-expanding lore surrounding the Backrooms remains fascinating, the narrative never loses sight of the people trapped within it. The mythology serves as a framework, but the characters provide the emotional anchor.
“The mythology serves as a framework, but the characters provide the emotional anchor.”
Without having seen the original web series, I cannot fully speak to how much of Will Soodik’s script is drawn directly from the source material. What is clear, however, is that both the screenplay and the film itself blend familiar concepts and storytelling techniques into something that feels surprisingly original. There are recognizable influences throughout, but they are filtered through a voice that feels distinctly its own.
Most notably, this can be seen in Jeremy Cox’s cinematography. The endless corridors and impossible spaces frequently evoke David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, particularly the Red Room, also known as the Waiting Room. The influence is not presented as imitation, but as visual inspiration.
Much in the same way that The Substance utilized visual echoes of The Shining, Backrooms embraces cinematic influences through its imagery while maintaining its own identity. These references feel less like direct homages and more like cinematic DNA embedded within the film’s visual language.
Kane’s vision throughout Backrooms remains clear and distinctive, but it is also informed by inspirations that make the experience feel strangely familiar. The film frequently captures the dreamlike unease that made Twin Peaks so effective, transforming ordinary spaces into something uncanny and unknowable. Like Lynch’s work, atmosphere often becomes more important than explanation, allowing mystery itself to generate tension.
“Backrooms transforms familiar spaces into something uncanny and unknowable.”
Alongside this is the way Soodik constructs his characters. Many of them carry unsettled histories and emotional wounds that linger beneath the surface. Their lives feel partially obscured, creating an underlying sense of mystery that extends beyond the Backrooms themselves. This approach proves essential to the film’s success.
The script creates characters that feel three-dimensional and emotionally complex, while Kane’s direction allows those complexities to flourish. The film consistently pulls hidden fears, insecurities, and unresolved emotions to the surface, intertwining them with a variety of horror techniques drawn from across the genre.
As a result, what could have easily become an overly slow-burning psychological horror film instead feels energized and purposeful. Through visual storytelling, sharp editing, and carefully controlled pacing, the film maintains momentum without sacrificing character development.
The opening found-footage sequence provides an immediate spark, plunging the audience directly into the experience. Meanwhile, the therapy sessions create an effective counterbalance, slowing the pace just enough to provide emotional depth and context. The contrast between the chaotic immediacy of the opening and the film’s more measured dramatic moments creates a rhythm that keeps the narrative engaging throughout.
While Kane’s vision introduces an exciting new voice to contemporary horror, some of the film’s most impactful moments come through its performances.
Renate Reinsve once again proves herself capable of excelling in virtually any genre. Fresh off performances in Sentimental Value and some of the strongest work of her career, she delivers a performance that is both emotionally grounded and deeply compelling. With each new role, she further establishes herself as one of the defining performers of her generation.
However, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performance is equally deserving of praise. Not only does he hold his own opposite Reinsve, but in many of their shared scenes he flourishes. His performance feels painfully human, offering a thoughtful examination of self-reflection, guilt, and the desire to justify one’s own actions regardless of how others perceive them.
In conclusion, Backrooms succeeds not simply because of its mythology or atmosphere, but because of its ability to merge multiple traditions of horror into something cohesive and emotionally resonant. By blending psychological horror, character-driven storytelling, and a variety of genre influences, Kane crafts a film that feels both familiar and entirely new.
“By blending psychological horror, character-driven storytelling, and decades of genre influence, Kane crafts a film that feels both familiar and entirely new.”
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