Short Backrooms review: I liked it overall, still a horror film.
It's a horror film. I know why I don't like horror so much. What I liked about this movie was that it did not rely so much on typical repeating horror themes, especially in comparison to the trailers shown before the film. You know it, scenes that show a mom picking up her kids at school, or scenes of a house in the woods. The movie had only a small amount of these. Still, this film did not change my mind about this genre.
Backrooms is the debut film of Kane Parsons and was produced by A24. It's the feature-film adaptation of a YouTube series by him, originating from a creepypasta.
I liked the effects adapted from elements found in video games. In particular it can be compared to Stanley Parable, Antichamber, or Garry's Mod, which I have not seen in another film before. The acting and camera work were solid.
The psychological themes were okay, but could have been explored in more detail.
Pacing in the first half was a little too slow for me.
The horror element is mostly the "uncanny valley." The overall layout of an office building looks alright on a superficial level, but the details are wrong. This is explained very explicitly in the dialogue.
It was ironic that a guy selling furniture moved through a non-furnished world.
I liked the aspects related to architecture. Visually, this topic and the horror elements are joined and presented fittingly for a horror movie. There were only a few shots I would call beautiful overall, but its style still does not look bland or unimaginative. It is mostly set indoors.
The culminating cut was executed so well. A collective moan of relief was heard through the cinema. The suspense ended, but many questions were left unanswered.
Finally, having more of the "backrooms" be outdoors could have provided amazing visuals; imagine a famous facade of a beautiful building but with the backrooms effect. But this would not fit the movie so well, because the claustrophobic setting would be weakened.
I got to watch the film in ODEON near Tottenham Court Rd in London. The venue was underground in a busy shopping district. I would say the cinema was nothing special, but I liked the sound system. A new experience for me was hearing the subway in the cinema; it did not significantly affect the viewing experience.