Backrooms – The hidden nightmare behind reality in 4K

Backrooms doesn't build fear through what it shows, but through the transformation of altered elements, subtly hinted at or profoundly unsettling. An empty corridor, an anonymous room, any environment becomes horrendous areas when they increasingly appear as imperfect copies of the world around us.

For his debut film, Kane Parsons takes the online myth and transforms it into a cinematic nightmare where reality is reproduced in a distorted form, reconstructed by something that can't truly comprehend it.

Nightmare built on the distortion of reality

The story of Clark and those he involves, willingly or unwillingly, becomes a journey into a hidden dimension more alive than it seems. Elements of reality reappear altered, and the presences that populate the labyrinth are imperfect and unsettling copies, replicating only a part of what enters, with imprecise versions not only of inert elements but also of what dwells in memory, including past traumas.

The director avoids the simpler path of horror based on jumpscares and instead works on anticipation, on sounds and shadows that generate monsters, on the loss of reference points and the growing feeling that something in the observed world is profoundly wrong. The cinematography of empty spaces, the use of distorted perspectives, and the recall of low-definition digital dimensions transform the film into a reflection on the distance between what we see and what we are. The ending remains open and no less unsettling.

Backrooms finds its strength precisely in the absence of definitive answers. It's a horror that prefers to leave questions open, transforming a simple virtual labyrinth into a metaphor for the fragility of the perception of reality. A highly original work that looks to psychological science fiction, Lynchian surrealism, and Escher's labyrinths that is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.

Digitally shot at dual resolution: 3.8K for the found footage from videocassette (Red Komodo) in square 4:3 format, and 8.6K for the rest of the material (Sony CineAlta Venice 2) in 1.85:1. The 4K master (3840x2160/23.97p) is HEVC encoded on a dual-layer BD-66. The visual rendering deliberately changes based on the nature of the images: the found footage sequences and television material adopt a degraded look with aliasing, glitches, and typical disturbances of 80s analog recordings.

Deteriorated sequences aside, the rest of the images are excellent, with solidity, deep blacks, and minimal hints of banding in the final minutes, during the "pirate's" chase through the narrow passage between the two walls. The further enhancement of lights due to Dolby Vision helps to complete the "other side" atmosphere, with yellows, neon, distorted perspectives, and very dark areas.

DTS-HD MA 5.1 Italian and English (always 16 bit) of good quality, emphasizing the hum of fluorescent lights and the glitch and static effects of low-definition sequences, building tension. The sound design, in which Parsons also participated, is complex and uses elements close to musique concrète with deformed real sounds, distortions, and menacing low frequencies. The rear soundstage is also very good, with directional elements and involvement. The English track gains a little more on the direct dialogue.

Extras: focus on the production with contributions from cast and crew (25'); special effects and set designs (15'); Blender software (7' + 5'). Italian subtitles. Embossed O-Card slipcover + 1,000 numbered copies card.