Backrooms
The fact that this story begun as a paragraph long 4chan post is a testament to what can be achieved from sheer creative power. To my amazement and despite what people claimed, this is an actual horror film. More than that, it’s a horror film that doesn’t force you to suspend your rational thought to understand. Everyone here acts mostly how a normal person would.
Well, except for Clark taking the camera when his life is in danger. Kane always had trouble making his character drop their cameras for the sake of the found footage aesthetic to stay consistent, which doesn’t even make complete sense here, it’s not a completely found footage film. As evidenced by the fact that he drops the camera later.
Another thing about that some people might dislike is that events tend to happen. They’re set up and paid off well, but it doesn’t really serve anything. The story has a message but it feels like it is taken a backseat to the actual environment, which feels like the actual main character here.
Personally I don’t really mind. From what you read online you might expect a poorly paced slog but that’s not the experience I had here. This was a genuinely a movie I was invested in. I liked how Marie’s trauma tied back to the backrooms (lol). I liked the big scary representation of Clark’s ego. And I especially liked how the movie could server as a critique of nostalgia, although I wish that idea was explored more.
Maybe the fact that I know what this started out as makes me appreciate it much more. Could be. But I’ll probably need another watch to really set my thoughts straight about this movie. But the point stands, I really liked it.