Directed by: Kane Parsons
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Lukita Maxwell, Finn Bennett, Mark Duplass
The plot of Backrooms mirrors the experience of watching it: You walk through an endless maze of rooms without any hint as to their meaning, how they connect, or why should you care. There is no real payoff and we're left with more questions than answers, but getting to the non-payoff becomes a tiresome chore. There is suspense in the beginning of Backrooms as furniture store owner Clark (Ejiofor) discovers the hidden maze in the basement of his store. The rooms resemble an abandoned office building with flickering lights above and assorted items spread about. But soon our impatience outstrips the suspense and we just want to know what the hell is going on already.
Clark's store is devoid of customers and life has taken a hard left on him. We learn through early sessions with a therapist (Reinsve) that his marriage recently ended and while he's a trained architect, he bought the furniture store and holds deeply held grudges against his ex-wife. Clark also has a major drinking problem and sleeps in the store on one of his showcase beds. Why not? It's not like anyone is buying anything. But before we even meet Clark, we witness a man dressed up in a hazmat suit exploring the very rooms Clark will soon find, and this doesn't lead to any payoff either, not even late in the movie when we find out who this is and what they know about these supernatural rooms.
Clark's fate is soon revealed as he and his assistants trek through the unknown maze, or is it truly explained? By the time Backrooms wraps up, (or does it?), we are left with the sinking feeling that a Backrooms 2 will be in the works thanks to the box-office success of this installment. Because Backrooms is a low-budget horror film like Obsession (which is also raking in beaucoup bucks at the box office these days), there is a temptation to compare the two, but Obsession is a far-superior film that honors the traditions of horror and all of its silliness. That's a compliment. Backrooms is just a bore.
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