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There’s a new horror sensation captivating audiences in theaters—”Backrooms.” This A24 film has drawn significant crowds during its opening weekend, raking in impressive box office numbers. Check out the video above to discover why “Backrooms” has become such a hit.
Directed by Kane Parsons, the movie stems from a YouTube series he created. It follows Clark, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a furniture store owner who stumbles upon a seemingly infinite maze of rooms in his store’s basement. As he delves deeper into this labyrinth, he uncovers even more disturbing mysteries and unwittingly involves others. The unfolding terror is best experienced firsthand, as this film masterfully gets under your skin.
The buzz surrounding “Backrooms” has undoubtedly contributed to its box office triumph. Critics have been left in awe, with a strong consensus that it’s a thrilling and haunting cinematic experience. Looper’s review praised Parsons as “an exciting new voice in horror filmmaking,” while noting the film’s ambition may occasionally overreach.
In terms of production, “Backrooms” defies its modest $10 million budget. The film boasts a talented cast, stunning set design, and impressive visual effects, showing no signs of being a low-budget project. This achievement is even more remarkable considering it’s Kane Parsons’ debut feature film.
Parsons leveraged the free 3D software Blender to craft all the sets, mindful of budget constraints and ongoing script refinements. During a discussion with executive producer James Wan on “The A24 Podcast,” Parsons explained, “I designed all the sets. It’s pretty much one for one with what we have in the movie. Those all exist in the Blender files.” He collaborated closely with director of photography Jeremy Cox, sharing Blender files to fine-tune the film’s visual elements as needed.
Unsurprisingly, the positive buzz has played a role in the movie’s box office success. Critics were left stunned in their first reactions to the “Backrooms” movie, as the general consensus was that it’s a frighteningly good time that uses its eerie liminal space to chilling effect. Looper’s own review of “Backrooms” was positive, calling Parsons “an exciting new voice in horror filmmaking” while also cautioning that the film tries to do too much.
How Kane Parsons made his budget work in Backrooms
A24
By modern Hollywood standards, “Backrooms” isn’t an expensive production, costing only $10 million to make. But nothing about the film looks low-budget, from the cast assembled to the set design to the visual effects. What makes it all the more impressive is that “Backrooms” is director Kane Parsons’ feature film debut.
Parsons made use of the free 3D software Blender to design all the sets, since he understood there was a budget to consider and there were still tweaks being made to the script before the film started shooting. “I designed all the sets,” he told executive producer James Wan during a conversation for “The A24 Podcast.” “And it’s pretty much one for one for what we have in the movie. Those all exist in the Blender files. And I would cross reference and talk with Jeremy Cox, the DP I worked with, who’s great. And I was showing him how to use a bit of Blender so we could send files back and forth if he wanted to tweak a few things on the day.”
As Wan noted, Parsons “[pre-visualized] the whole movie.” All the extra preparation paid off, since the director delivered a film that’s delighting critics and fans, while lighting up the box office. Check out the video above to find out more about “Backrooms,” one of the best movies based on creepypasta.