‘Backrooms’ Delivers Surreal Horror on HBO Max, But Lacks Narrative Depth

The horror film ‘Backrooms,’ now available on HBO Max, offers a distinct and technically proficient, albeit flawed, cinematic experience. Directed by the impressively young Kane Parsons, who first gained recognition for his YouTube series of the same name, the film adapts the viral creepypasta phenomenon of surreal, empty office spaces where the laws of physics seem to bend.

‘Backrooms’ follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a furniture store manager grappling with a broken marriage. During sleepless nights in his showroom, he discovers a hidden doorway that leads to an endless, unnerving labyrinth of yellow-beige corridors and rooms. Compelled to explore this disorienting space, he eventually enlists his assistant manager, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), and her camcorder-wielding boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), to document his expeditions. As Clark becomes increasingly consumed by the backrooms, his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), grows concerned and eventually ventures into the unsettling environment herself.

The film is set in 1990, a deliberate choice to avoid the complications that modern mobile phones would introduce to the narrative. This temporal setting contributes to the film's overall sense of isolation and disorientation.

Technically, ‘Backrooms’ excels. Parsons demonstrates a surprising command of filmmaking, utilizing strong production design, art direction, cinematography, sound design, and a musical score to craft a palpable atmosphere of dread. The film’s visual style, characterized by neutral colors and an unsettling ambiance, effectively conjures a nightmarish dreamscape that mirrors common anxieties about the unknown and self-generated fears.

Comparisons have been drawn to other works exploring surreal realities, including ‘The Shining,’ ‘Mulholland Drive,’ ‘Being John Malkovich,’ ‘Synecdoche New York,’ and ‘I Saw the TV Glow.’ However, the review notes that Parsons has not yet reached the directorial heights of those filmmakers.

While Ejiofor and Reinsve deliver performances that hint at character complexity, the script provides them with limited material. The film’s core concept, while conceptually affecting in its evocation of dreamlike mazes and the fear of the unknown, is described as psychologically obvious. The backrooms appear to serve as a metaphor for characters' internal baggage, a familiar trope where the