Backrooms’ journey to the big screen — from anonymous 4chan post to viral creepypasta to mega-popular YouTube series to A24-backed box-office smash — is as unique and unexpected as the film itself. 20-year-old Kane Parsons’ liminal horror hit feels unlike everything else currently happening in the genre, which is partly what inspired us to pair it with the similarly expectation-defying 1979 cult hit Phantasm, but also makes Backrooms fascinating to discuss on its own. Which is what we do, in mostly spoiler-free terms, before shifting over to Connections to look at how Backrooms and Phantasm compare as low-budget horror phenomena that use unsettling repeating spaces, dream logic, and heroes with no sense of self-preservation to maximum effect. And if Backrooms has you craving more video-game-influenced liminal spaces, we’ve got you covered with a Your Next Picture Show recommendation for the recent Japanese horror-mystery Exit 8.

Please share your thoughts about Phantasm, Backrooms, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Works Cited: 

• The 5 essential Backrooms videos to watch on YouTube after the movie, by Tasha Robinson (polygon.com)

• Backrooms director Kane Parsons answers three very specific questions about the movie, by Tasha Robinson (polygon.com)

• Backrooms’s Ending Cleverly Subverts One of Horror’s Biggest Clichés, by Tasha Robinson (vulture.com)

• The Indoor Generation, by Carol Grant

• A Feud in Wolf-Kink Erotica Raises a Deep Legal Question, by Alexandra Alter (nytimes.com)

 

Next Pairing: Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and E.T. The Extraterrestrial 

 

This episode is presented by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.

Backrooms&rsquo; journey to the big screen &mdash; from anonymous 4chan post to viral creepypasta to mega-popular YouTube series to A24-backed box-office smash &mdash; is as unique and unexpected as the film itself. 20-year-old Kane Parsons&rsquo; liminal horror hit feels unlike everything else currently happening in the genre, which is partly what inspired us to pair it with the similarly expectation-defying 1979 cult hit&nbsp;Phantasm,&nbsp;but also makes&nbsp;Backrooms fascinating to discuss on its own. Which is what we do, in mostly spoiler-free terms, before shifting over to Connections to look at how&nbsp;Backrooms&nbsp;and&nbsp;Phantasm&nbsp;compare as low-budget horror phenomena that use unsettling repeating spaces, dream logic, and heroes with no sense of self-preservation to maximum effect. And if&nbsp;Backrooms&nbsp;has you craving more video-game-influenced liminal spaces, we&rsquo;ve got you covered with a Your Next Picture Show recommendation for the recent Japanese horror-mystery&nbsp;Exit 8.
Please share your thoughts about&nbsp;Phantasm, Backrooms, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:comments@nextpictureshow.net">comments@nextpictureshow.net</a>, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
Works Cited:&nbsp;
&bull;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.polygon.com/best-youtube-backrooms-videos-movie/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.polygon.com/best-youtube-backrooms-videos-movie/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3vA2X9TvLOAfTO7QGnKdkE">The 5 essential Backrooms videos to watch on YouTube after the movie</a>, by Tasha Robinson (<a href="http://polygon.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://polygon.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2e7NVOJINIa2_9hMFBAEVz">polygon.com</a>)
&bull;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.polygon.com/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-answers-three-questions/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.polygon.com/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-answers-three-questions/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1AorhYCkUGP-tPCPdykxQp">Backrooms director Kane Parsons answers three very specific questions about the movie</a>, by Tasha Robinson (<a href="http://polygon.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://polygon.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2e7NVOJINIa2_9hMFBAEVz">polygon.com</a>)
&bull;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/backroomss-ending-subverts-one-of-horrors-biggest-cliches.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.vulture.com/article/backroomss-ending-subverts-one-of-horrors-biggest-cliches.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3e094EoGxHf6TADf72p32x">Backrooms&rsquo;s Ending Cleverly Subverts One of Horror&rsquo;s Biggest Clich&eacute;s</a>, by Tasha Robinson (<a href="http://vulture.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://vulture.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0uehJjNyZa9MmpLvhP1Mwe">vulture.com</a>)
&bull;&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/@carolgrantr/the-indoor-generation-a96b29a1d1b5" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medium.com/@carolgrantr/the-indoor-generation-a96b29a1d1b5&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1OzJsY8IpwmXFnW8acxXyA">The Indoor Generation</a>, by Carol Grant
&bull;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/omegaverse-erotica-copyright.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/omegaverse-erotica-copyright.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3k6omVIhEfP55kaXHALlVb">A Feud in Wolf-Kink Erotica Raises a Deep Legal Question</a>, by Alexandra Alter (<a href="http://nytimes.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nytimes.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw314pZMyttHmFTkpBrR_tN4">nytimes.com</a>)
&nbsp;
Next Pairing:&nbsp;Steven Spielberg&rsquo;s&nbsp;Disclosure Day&nbsp;and&nbsp;E.T. The Extraterrestrial&nbsp;
&nbsp;
This episode is presented by⁠&nbsp;<a href="https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.regmovies.com/join-unlimited&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1781663655193000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0KTO0g5Duir-O0GtNhhciB">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.

Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen review new and classic movies, offering "affable, insightful film analysis since 2005" (NY Times).

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Filmspotting

Negative Spaces, Pt. 2 — Backrooms

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/720596c5-cf71-4300-a547-b46b003637aa/transcript