“Backrooms” is one of the most unique cinematic events of the year. The film, which opens in theaters Friday via A24, was directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, who previously developed the web series of the same name. Already tallying huge box office numbers from Thursday preview screenings, it is projected to be one of A24’s biggest hits ever.
The surreal plot involves Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a furniture store owner who finds a secret doorway that leads him to a seemingly endless series of nondescript rooms. Once he goes missing in them, his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), enters these Backrooms to find him, even as her reality starts bending.
Parsons spoke with Variety in the weeks leading up to the film’s release about getting approached to make the film when he was 16 years old, why he thinks future chapters might end up on YouTube and why liminal spaces freak people out so much.
There’s been so much hype around the movie. How have you been holding up with this press cycle?
It’s been a very strange time. I’ve never done any of these things before, so it’s a lot of new experiences … consistently, frequently, every day of every week. I’m just excited for it to hit the internet, and on May 29th, I’ll probably just be staying in and just monitoring the fallout, so to speak.
