Summary

The Backrooms film by A24 draws excitement due to the captivating concept of liminal spaces.
The film should focus on explaining the eerie concept thoroughly and creating an immersive experience.
Kane Parsons' experience with the Backrooms concept ensures thoughtful storytelling, avoiding lackluster endings.

While crafting a horror movie from Internet lore sounds like a good idea in theory, sometimes it can fall flat. I was unimpressed with the 2018 Slender Man movie and think that Creepypasta adaptations are a bad idea. However, there's one endlessly compelling Internet concept, and that's The Backrooms. Deadline reported that A24 is producing a horror/sci-fi movie called The Backrooms, which will be written and directed by Kane Parsons, the 19-year-old filmmaker known for his YouTube series.

This is exciting news, but I can't help but think of the American Horror Stories season 4 episode starring Michael Imperioli that doesn't do much with this memorable urban legend. I hope that A24's The Backrooms movie tells a much more gripping story.

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By Aya Tsintziras

A24's The Backrooms Should Avoid These Mistakes From The American Horror Stories Season 4 Episode

The Backrooms episode of American Horror Stories

The Backrooms are liminal spaces, and they're a bit tricky to explain. However, I'd argue that's why they're so interesting. Thanks to Kane Parsons's creative work, there are countless YouTube videos of what these spaces look like, and fans are familiar with these unsettling rooms. I was disappointed by the American Horror Stories "Backrooms" episode because it doesn't explain these spaces enough and doesn't add anything new to the ongoing narrative.

I think that A24's The Backrooms can work well if it properly explains the concept and features at least one character who is an expert. While The Backrooms are an abstract idea, if someone stares at these rooms long enough, it's hard not to feel like they're real. I get an unsettling feeling in my stomach when I look at these spaces, and I think the movie needs to make audiences feel that, too. Since the movie is being described as both horror and science fiction, I'm hopeful that audiences will walk away feeling like they truly understand this concept... And would never want to get stuck in one of these rooms.

Although Daniel (Imperioli) meets another character who knows about these spaces in American Horror Stories, he's only included briefly. Maybe the movie will focus on several characters who have been researching The Backrooms for years and who get trapped in some real liminal spaces.

While filmmakers sometimes struggle with video game adaptations because it's hard to know what to include from the original story and what fresh concepts and new characters to add, The Backrooms movie is based on a concept rather than one specific protagonist or storyline. I think that will end up being a good thing, and as long as audiences feel they're having a truly immersive experience, the movie will be successful. Like other urban legends, The Backrooms are compelling because they feel somewhat grounded in reality. As long as that concept is translated to the film, it'll be cool and, hopefully, scary.

Kane Parsons Has Been Telling Stories About The Backrooms For Years

Kane Parsons shared his short film The Backrooms (Found Footage) in 2022, and it quickly became a big hit. His web series is set in Async, which is a research space, and takes place in the 1990s. In a 2024 interview with Dazed Digital, Parsons talked about his interest in the Backrooms concept, and he said he was committed to continuing to tell these eerie tales. He said:

“I certainly have no interest in letting this story die, and I don't care how many decades it takes. I’ll do a ten-episode series to tell the story the way I want to... Really, the YouTube film is only a small part of it, I think of it as a prologue or sort of a teaser."

According to The Film Stage, Parsons gave an interview to The Swarm, the newspaper from his high school, in which he discussed his creative process. He said:

"I aim to find intriguing concepts that personally interest me while also having a large potential audience. Once I’ve come up with an idea, I spend pretty much every waking moment that I’m not at school on finishing it. Once I’ve animated and am happy with how everything looks, I set the shot to render. This typically takes around 5-7 hours."

I'm excited for A24's The Backrooms movie, and I'm sure that Parsons will approach it thoughtfully. Since he has been thinking about liminal spaces for years, I'm confident his movie will avoid the lackluster endings that some American Horror Stories episodes have, and even more people will be interested in The Backrooms idea.

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