The film Backrooms has been in theaters since June 17. And there’s a lot to say—about its artistic ambitions as well as its place in Hollywood.
Three weeks after its U.S. release, Backrooms lands in France. In just three weeks, it has managed to top the box office and carve out a modest reputation among fans of digital horror. For those who didn’t know the creeppypasta origin of the phenomenon, such fervor might seem suspect. Yet the film’s financial and critical success says a lot about how the genre is evolving in Hollywood, even as Obsession is busy rewriting history on its own.
Deeply invested in the movement it inhabits, Mathieu returns not only to the film but also to its viral origins and to what it represents in an industry where even the latest Star Wars can’t seem to pull teenagers into theaters. All it takes is stepping into our liminal studio…
