The most anticipated horror movie of the year has FINALLY arrived, and I for one have a lot to say about it - both good and bad. First and foremost this must be said, to all my fellow horror fans out there I think we can ALL agree to a certainty how utterly insane it is to see how far the iconic Backrooms creepypasta has come - from a random photo of a empty yellow office-like room with fluorescent lighting and stained carpet being posted online back in 2019 - which then quickly evolved and became expanded upon by people going on to create: different levels, games, creatures/entities, lore, and YouTube videos - and then in January of 2022, teenage filmmaker Kane Parsons completely changed the game by uploading a short found-footage film of the backrooms straight to YouTube. This led to the birth of one of the greatest analog horror series to ever exist.

Now, onto the review. This movie is definitely going to spark quite a lot of mixed opinions, and I can truly understand both sides. Those who are not familiar with the backrooms whatsoever are certainly going to leave the cinema feeling confused, whereas those like myself who are die-hard fans of the original backrooms analog horror series are going to leave the cinema feeling either very satisfied or very disappointed. I personally reside in the middle, and here's why. Let me start with the good - the movie's greatest strength is undoubtedly its first half, which at one point had me convinced I was watching one of the best horror movies of the year, which could have given the new big hit horror movie, Obsession, some competition. What made the first half incredibly promising was its understanding of what exactly makes the backrooms such a terrifying concept in the first place.

The simplicity of the production design is remarkably effective - the endless yellow hallways, empty rooms, and seemingly infinite stretches of liminal space were able to create this suffocating atmosphere of both isolation and dread while also constantly making you feel as though something is lurking just out of sight. Despite how empty these environments are, that unsettling contradiction becomes one of the movie's most powerful tools. As our protagonist ventures deeper into the backrooms, the movie keeps us completely locked in through its impressive camerawork and sound design - every corner feels threatening, every distant noise feels significant, and the constant uncertainty of what may be waiting ahead creates an almost unbearable level of suspense.

The found-footage sequences in particular were the most effective - seeing events unfold through the characters' camcorder footage places us directly in their shoes, making the overall experience feel frighteningly immersive. These moments deliver some of the movie's most intense and genuinely terrifying scenes as we share in the character's sheer panic, desperation, and overwhelming desire to survive.

Now, onto the bad - the biggest overall gripe I had with the movie is the entire second half, the momentum of what made the first half super engaging comes to an abrupt halt and ends up going down a very unexpected direction that sadly results in a big shift in tone where it no longer feels scary but quite, dare I say goofy. It was almost as if the story became desperate to attach a deeper thematic meaning onto a concept that honestly never needed one in the first place - it could have simply embraced being a strange, trippy creature feature, and that alone would’ve been enough to make it effective. Instead, the film overcomplicates itself by forcing larger themes into the narrative and rather than enhancing the horror, it ends up distracting from what made the concept so unnerving to begin with.

Overall, whether the film completely works or not, there is absolutely no denying that what Kane Parsons has accomplished here is genuinely incredible. To deliver a project of this scale and quality as your feature directorial debut is nothing short of inspiring - he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and I'll be watching closely to see what he does next.