It's Time to Get Liminal as First Trailer Drops for 'Backrooms'
From 4chan to Feature Film - A24 Brings Kane Parsons’ Viral Horror to the Big Screen.
The official trailer for A24's ‘Backrooms’ debuted today, offering the first comprehensive look at the feature-film adaptation of the viral internet creepypasta. Directed by Kane Parsons, who at age 20 is the youngest director in the studio's history, the film’s trailer expands on the analog horror of his YouTube series by introducing an actual narrative. The screenplay was penned by Will Soodik (Ash vs. Evil Dead), with horror veterans James Wan and Shawn Levy serving as producers.
The trailer centres on a man named Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers a "strange doorway" in the basement of a furniture showroom. The footage highlights the concept of "clipping" - the terrifying act of glitching out of physical reality into an endless, labyrinthine office space characterized by yellow wallpaper and buzzing fluorescent lights. Renate Reinsve plays a therapist who eventually enters this "liminal space" dimension to investigate after her patient disappears. In addition to Ejiofor and Reinsve, the film stars Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell.
The trailer, a slight departure from the original YouTube series, looks like it has done well to capture the ominous, creepy vibes of the original series and mixes it with cinematic portions which looks like it could really work for fans of the original, and those who have never seen it before. Most notably, the trailer reveals that at times the use of what looks like ‘found footage’ style filmmaking gives it that uncanny, in-person style that the series was known for. It will be an interesting juxtaposition as the film blends high-definition cinematic shots with low-quality, lo-fi VHS footage. The found-footage style, which has been overused every since the 90s, does make the experience feel more real and uncomfortable, perhaps even drawing comparisons to the raw dread of The Blair Witch Project.
There are many sights and sounds that are iconic to the original series, and it looks like Parsons, who should know the material well was not afraid to tap into that aesthetic. The trailer leans heavily into the "liminal space" aesthetic - vast, empty, and familiar yet "wrong" environments like endless yellow-wallpapered hallways and buzzing fluorescent lights. The sheer emptiness and lack of scale or geography create a primal sense of unease. The constant humming of fluorescent lights and distorted, screeching noises suggesting a lurking presence add a layer of psychological tension without always needing to show a monster on screen.