Since its internet folklore origins, the story of the backrooms has become much more than a niche urban legend, so when the film adaptation was announced, fan expectations were understandably high. Thankfully, my anxieties were recently cast aside thanks to creator Kane Parsons’ recent interview, which revealed the meticulous detail behind the film’s creation.
From using the best 3D modelling software for concept art to creating a 30,000-square-foot set, Kane’s passion for the project has already won over fans before the film’s release. With an eye for detail down to the set’s sickly shade of yellow, Kane’s precise passion for the project has made me even more excited for what’s in store.
At this year’s CCXP Mexico, 20-year-old Kane sat down to discuss the production of the upcoming Backrooms movie, explaining that early concepts began by leveraging the 3D software Blender (in which Kane is self-taught). “I was working in Blender, modelling the sets, and then we would literally go and build them in real time,” he explained. “We did a lot of tests there to make sure we were getting the general tone that people expected [from] Backrooms. We did 50 wallpaper tests to get the right shape of yellow.”
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These concepts soon became massive real-world sets, which Kane explains had a surreal, maze-like quality. “The set was huge. We built 30,000 square feet of actual backrooms that we could walk around in. Actually, some people were getting lost. It felt like being there, which was really weird,” he says.
Kane goes on to explain the essence of the Backrooms liminal horror, sharing, “The backrooms, to me, has felt aligned with what happens when someone goes through sensory deprivation on the individual level – and you go out in an empty room – and the body, the nervous system needs stimulation so badly [when] it’s deprived of it. It starts to find noise and information in the pattern of the walls and starts to take that noise more seriously than it normally would. It opens its threshold of what it’s willing to accept.”
Given Kane’s original Backrooms series is so highly praised by fans, hopes are high for what the young director can achieve with A24 behind the feature film. I for one am excited (and slightly terrified) to see the outcome, but with such meticulous detial behind the film, I’m already certain it will exceed expectations.
For more Backrooms news, check out the new posters that absolutely nail the film’s liminal space horror, or check out my thoughts on the terrifying trailer.
