‘Backrooms’ Movie Review: Kane Parsons’ Postmodern Labyrinth as a Mesmerising Moodboard for Internet Age Horrors
With his feature take on one of the internet’s most enduring urban legends, filmmaker Kane Parsons turns the “Backrooms” myth into a sensory experience that blends memory, nostalgia and dread. Often described as dreamcore horror, the film builds a liminal space where reality slips — offering audiences a fever-dream atmosphere that captivates and unsettles in equal measure.
What are the “Backrooms”?
The Backrooms began as online folklore: the idea of “noclipping” out of reality into an endless maze of empty, yellow-tinted office spaces, buzzing fluorescent lights and the hum of an unseen presence. Born from internet image boards and short videos, it became a defining piece of digital-age horror — and Parsons is among the creators most associated with bringing it to life on screen.
A horror built for the internet age
Rather than relying on jump scares, the film leans on dread and disorientation. Parsons constructs a postmodern labyrinth that mirrors the unsettling, infinite-scroll nature of online life: familiar yet uncanny environments that feel both alien and intimately recognisable. By tapping into a collective consciousness shaped by online myths and digital folklore, the film speaks directly to modern anxieties about screens, isolation and getting “lost” in digital space.
Strengths and what to expect
The film’s biggest asset is mood. Its strength lies in atmosphere and immersion rather than conventional plotting, making it more of an experiential mood-piece than a traditional narrative horror. Viewers who enjoy slow-burn, ambience-driven horror are likely to find it rewarding; those seeking fast pacing may find it deliberately restrained.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is the film?
It is described as dreamcore / liminal-space horror, focused on atmosphere over jump scares.
Where did the Backrooms concept originate?
From internet folklore about slipping into endless, empty office-like spaces.
This is an opinion-based review by the DW24 News entertainment desk.
