Video summary
The video provides an in-depth review and analysis of the film *Backrooms*, focusing on how it successfully bridges the gap between niche internet lore and mainstream cinematic appeal. The reviewer highlights director Kane Parsons' achievement in crafting a narrative that satisfies both long-time fans familiar with the Backrooms saga and newcomers who have never encountered the mythos, drawing a favorable comparison to the strategy used for X-Files films like *Fight the Future*. This middle-ground approach is presented as particularly difficult to execute well, yet the film manages to deliver a forward-moving story process that remains accessible without diluting its core mystery. The reviewer notes that even his wife, who had no prior knowledge of the source material, was able to follow and enjoy the plot, underscoring the movie's ability to function effectively as an entry point for general audiences while retaining depth for existing fans.
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the technical execution and visual style employed by Parsons, which serves as a testament to the growing expertise of YouTube filmmakers in creating full-length features. The review praises the seamless integration of practical camera work with Blender-generated environments, citing specific scenes where real-life alleyways in Vancouver were combined with digital assets to create expansive warehouse settings within the Backrooms. This hybrid approach is lauded for its quality and creativity, distinguishing it from other attempts by creators like Chris Stuckmann who struggled when transitioning from short-form content to feature films. The reviewer emphasizes that Parsons has honed his craft through years of producing horror anthologies and skits, resulting in a polished final product that showcases the potential for digital-native filmmakers to compete with traditional Hollywood productions.
Despite its strengths, the film is not without flaws, primarily regarding the subplot involving the counselor character which the reviewer identifies as the weakest element of the movie. While acknowledging that this narrative thread was necessary to extend the runtime and provide a relatable human connection alongside the protagonist's descent into madness, the story itself feels overly predictable and cookie-cutter in its execution. The juxtaposition presented at the end of her arc fails to fully resonate with the reviewer, who finds it somewhat unconvincing despite decent visual editing. However, this criticism is tempered by the understanding that such a narrative device was essential for pacing purposes; without it, the film would have been significantly shorter and potentially less engaging for viewers unfamiliar with the source material's intricate lore.
Ultimately, the review concludes that *Backrooms* stands as a solid horror movie worthy of a five out of seven rating because its core strengths far outweigh its narrative weaknesses. The atmosphere successfully evokes a sense of strange familiarity akin to forgotten nightmares, which is central to the Backrooms experience and executed with remarkable skill by Parsons. Although the counselor subplot lacks originality, it does not detract from the overarching mystery or horror elements that define the film's identity. The reviewer expresses excitement for future developments in the franchise while encouraging viewers to share their own thoughts on how YouTube creators are reshaping Hollywood's landscape through innovative storytelling and technical proficiency.
Read the full video transcript
While I'm here, I might as well bang out
too.
Woo! That's a hot mug, Heights. I saw
Backrooms months ago when it came out,
and I was very curious to how this movie
was going to come about. Not only
because of Kane Parsons' age, he's only
20, but everyone's mentioned that. But
also how it was going to fit into the
mythos of the entire Backrooms saga that
he started. I was curious if this was
going to be like the X-Files movie Fight
the Future. That was a movie that came
out, if I'm correct, in between season 4
and 5 or 5 and 6, and Fox told Chris
Carter that he had to make this movie
accessible to people who had never seen
it before, but also be relevant to fans.
Give them a forward story process in the
show, but not so much that anyone who
hadn't seen the show wouldn't be able to
follow along. And that is such a
middle-of-the-road marker
that is very hard to hit, but I feel
like Kane Parsons hit that and then some
with the Backrooms story. Before I talk
about the Backrooms bit, I did want to
talk about the counselor, and that is
probably the weakest part of this movie
is the counselor's story. While shot
pretty well, I actually like the visual
elements of it with the editing, it's
the most cookie-cutter story you've ever
seen for her story. And even with her
juxtaposition at the very end of the
movie, it kind of made me go, "Okay,
come on." But I feel like that was what
they needed to make the movie more than
an hour long. They needed this
connective, relatable narrative for the
the counselor, so we get more into her
story while we're following along with
the main guy losing his mind and going
into the Backrooms. But yeah, that's the
weakest bit of the film, I feel. But the
Backrooms itself, again, not only is
this really intriguing for people who
have been watching the series like
myself, my wife was interested and she
had no [ __ ] clue what was going on.
She had never watched any of the other
Backrooms stuff. And seeing her reaction
as well as thinking about the film
myself, it really does delve into this
strange familiarity, but more like a
forgotten nightmare. And Kane does
phenomenal work with that, not only
using film real life film, like not only
filming everything in camera, but also
his Blender usage. There's a scene where
they're running through these houses in
a supposed backroom warehouse, but when
you look at the behind the scenes, it
was done in an actual alleyway somewhere
in Vancouver, and they just filled in
everything else with Blender. Like
phenomenal. This kid knows what he's
doing, and I'm very happy that him and
Kane Barker are showing the ways of what
YouTube filmmakers can do, and the
expertise that they've learned. They've
been doing short-form content, whether
it be skits or horror anthologies,
and they've been constantly getting
better and better and better. It's kind
of like Freddie Wong, which I've always
been amazed at Freddie Wong's never been
able to make a full-length movie of his
own, but he's been in like TV shows and
such. Admittedly, that is also kind of
why I think Chris Stuckmann's movie
wasn't that good, at least from what
I've heard, because while you can review
movies, it's a lot different than making
movies. That's why I you would never
ever see me in that capacity ever. I
acknowledge that this is something
that's beyond my field, but I can
appreciate when it's done well, and I
feel like Kane did a great job here. I'm
very excited to see where the backrooms
goes from here, but only time will tell.
In the end, I'm going to give backrooms
a five out of seven. It was a very solid
horror movie,
but again, like I said, the the whole
element with the counselor,
it's so predictable. You can see every
bit of that, but they needed something
to fill in the hour-and-a-half-long
quota. So, it's not the end of the
world, because it doesn't take away from
the
the mystery and the
the horror of the backrooms. But anyways
guys, those are my thoughts. Hope you
enjoyed this video. If you did, leave a
like and if you want to see more,
subscribe. Tell me what you thought
about the movie yourself. I'm curious to
have some conversations with you guys.
Again, like I said, I am trying to come
back to this.
It's taking a minute.
Um but hopefully I'll be able to come
back to this soon cuz I guess I've been
enjoying doing this. I might not do it
all the time cuz this is a bit of a
setup, but we'll see. Tell me what you
guys think. Anyways, that's all for me.
See you guys next time.