With some delay, the American film "Backrooms" is finally making it to German theaters. It does so with a cornucopia of advance praise. After just a few days, the horror film already became the most successful project of film production company A24, which most recently was responsible for Oscar contender "Marty Supreme". By the German theatrical release, "Backrooms" had already collected a staggering 250 million dollars at the worldwide box office - and that with a budget of only ten million dollars.
Glitched Out of Reality <Zitat10></Zitat10> - That's What It's About
Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor, 48), the owner of a rundown furniture store, makes a disturbing discovery in the basement of his shop: a door that no one but him seems to see. The obsession to uncover its secret won't leave him alone - until he finally confides in his psychologist Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve, 38). When she follows him to see for herself, neither of them suspects what lurks in the labyrinth behind the walls.
Even the Development History Is Cinematic
This equally simple and effective plot is preceded by a complex backstory. The disturbing "Backrooms" found their origin as so-called creepypastas - horror stories spread on the internet. The inspiration for this in turn loosely comes from the gaming scene: Anyone who accidentally glitches through the actual video game architecture usually ends up in nowhere - but sometimes also in barren rooms that were never meant to be accessible to players. Do such liminal spaces also exist in reality?
Through collective swarm creativity of the internet, the "Backrooms" horror story developed into a complex myth with its own Wikipedia page. In 2022, at only 16 years old, director Kane Parsons then developed the horror web series "Backrooms" on YouTube and reached a worldwide audience of millions. And now, at just 20 years old, Parsons is celebrating his directorial debut on the big screen with the eponymous horror hit that exceeds all expectations.
Compared to typical Hollywood productions, "Backrooms" with its ten-million-dollar budget is an absolute bargain. The film proves - similar to what the sci-fi film "Cube" did about 30 years ago - that complex ideas can be implemented and emotionally gripping stories can be told with the simplest means. A certain franchise fatigue, which had recently caught up even with the MCU and the "Star Wars" empire, likely contributed its part to the success of "Backrooms".
