The Architectural Brilliance Behind A24's 'Backrooms' Film Adaptation
A24's recent horror sensation, "Backrooms," has captivated audiences and critics alike, earning a staggering $81 million at the box office over its opening weekend. This cinematic achievement stems from a fascinating internet phenomenon that originated from a 2019 4chan post. The film's success is not just in its frights but also in its innovative set design, which meticulously brings the unsettling digital world of the backrooms to life on the big screen. This exploration delves into the collaborative effort between the film's young director, Kane Parsons, and veteran production designer Danny Vermette, highlighting how they translated a surreal online concept into a tangible, immersive cinematic experience that balances horror with a surprising touch of humor.
The core idea of "Backrooms" emerged from an online forum, where a simple image of an eerily empty, carpeted space with yellowed wallpaper sparked a communal narrative. This collective creation described an infinite maze of drab rooms, devoid of purpose, yet filled with the unsettling hum of fluorescent lights and the lurking presence of unseen entities. This cyber-horror lore quickly spread across various internet communities, with users contributing their own accounts of 'no-clipping' out of reality and finding themselves trapped within these bizarre, unsettling environments.
Kane Parsons, at just 20 years old, was instrumental in transforming this digital folklore into a visual narrative. He initially brought his vision of the backrooms to YouTube in 2022 through a series of short films, which quickly garnered attention for their unsettling atmosphere and creative interpretation of the online lore. His work caught the eye of A24, known for its distinctive and often boundary-pushing films, leading to an opportunity to direct a feature-length adaptation. This made Parsons the youngest director to work with the acclaimed production company.
To realize Parsons's expansive vision on a physical set, production designer Danny Vermette faced the challenge of materializing an inherently abstract concept. Parsons, who primarily used 3D rendering software like Blender for his YouTube creations, initially provided Vermette with a massive digital file for his dream set, an estimated 100,000 square feet. Due to practical constraints of budget and space, a scaled-down but still ambitious 30,000 square feet of set was constructed across four soundstages in Vancouver. This involved building a labyrinth of half-walls, peculiar angles, and cul-de-sacs, enhanced by 1,520-foot-tall scaffolding to create multiple levels. Vermette's team went to great lengths to ensure the iconic pale yellow wallpaper, a signature element of the backrooms, was an exact match to Parsons's digital rendition, undertaking 40 product tests to achieve the perfect shade and texture.
The film features Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, an alcoholic architect turned furniture salesman who accidentally finds himself in the enigmatic backrooms. While much of the movie unfolds within this never-ending maze, elements of the 'real world' are also depicted, specifically through the 1990s-era settings of Clark's workplace, Captain Clark's (a pirate-themed warehouse), and a therapist's office. Vermette deliberately infused these spaces with dated aesthetics—floral chintz, wood paneling, and old technology—to reflect Clark's bleak and disaffected worldview. This conscious design choice, intended to amplify the character's discomfort and effectively render him 'homeless' even within his own environment, also inadvertently introduced a layer of dark, tongue-in-cheek humor, providing an unexpected contrast to the film's horror elements.
The symbolism of the backrooms remains open to varied interpretations, from a representation of schizophrenic hallucinations and memory palaces to a digital-age haunted house. Director Kane Parsons himself views them as a metaphor for the intricate mechanics of human memory. This multi-layered interpretation is arguably why the concept resonates so deeply with online communities. Even actor Chiwetel Ejiofor delved into internet forums to understand the concept of backrooms and liminal spaces, finding himself unexpectedly drawn into the rabbit hole of its lore. This profound engagement from both creators and audience highlights the unique power of collaborative, internet-born narratives to inspire and entertain on a grand scale, even inspiring a peel-and-stick wallpaper line for fans.