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'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

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Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#191

Post by spartanatreyu »

daveisfera wrote: post #189
spartanatreyu wrote: post #36

No spoilers below: The movie was great but it's not a stand-alone movie, it is a small piece of the full story so don't go in thinking that everything will be explained and tied up in a neat little bow. The movie takes place in Kane Pixel (the movie director's) youtube series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVAh-MgDVqvDUEq6qDXqO... It makes a lot more sense if you watch the full youtube series first.

I watched the YouTube series and didn't notice anything specific that it added or answered. It provided a bit more context about ASync, but that wasn't really a core part of the movie (or at least didn't actually answer anything other than they had discovered it and had been researching/experimenting with it). Is there something I missed?

Spoilers below (use rot13 to decipher):

Vg nafjrerq gur gvzryvar bs ubj gur onpxebbzf jrer perngrq.

Va 1972 Vina Orpx jnf qbvat culfvpf rkcrevzragf naq jnf noyr gb znxr znggre qvfnccrne sebz bhe fcnpr.

Bapr ur svtherq bhg gung vg unq orra genafcbegrq vagb n qvssrerag fcnpr, ur crgvgvbarq gur tbireazrag sbe rkgen shaqvat. Vs gur HF tbireazrag pbhyq perngr rkgen fcnpr ng jvyy, vg jbhyq or n fpvragvsvp oernxguebhtu ba gur beqre bs fcyvggvat gur ngbz naq jbhyq punatr gur jbeyq. Vg sryy haqre gur cheivrj bs gur Qrcnegzrag bs Raretl (gur fnzr qrcnegzrag vaibyirq jvgu ahpyrne jrncbaf).

Guebhtu gurve rkcrevzragf gelvat gb perngr n ynetre qbbejnl ("guerfubyq") gb n arj fcnpr, gurl pnhfrq gur snzbhf 1989 rnegudhnxr naq trarengrq gur onpxebbzf nf jr xabj gurz, qvfpbirerq gur ragvgvrf jvguva, naq jrer erfcbafvoyr sbe gur nppryrengvat zvffvat crefbaf pnfrf nf zber naq zber bcravatf orpnzr cbccvat hc.

Gurl xarj gur ceboyrz jnf trggvat jbefr, naq gurl pbagvahrq gb pbire vg hc naq pbagvahr gur rkcrevzragf, nyy va gur ubcrf bs zbargvfvat gurz be hfvat gurz gb tnva n fgengrtvp nqinagntr bire bgure pbhagevrf.

Gur zbivr fubjrq jung unccrarq jvgu bayl bar bs gubfr qbbejnlf. (naq gur qbbejnl gur frnthyy pnzr guebhtu, naq gur bevtvany guerfubyq va gur Nflap snpvyvgl).

Jr nyfb fnj gung gur onpxebbzf pbagvahrq gb ribyir bire gvzr orpbzvat zber ernyvfgvp, riraghnyyl sbezvat gur "fgvyy-yvsrf" jvgu rqvoyr juvgr znff syrfu.

Juvpu yrnqf gb gur gehr ubeebe:

Nf gur jnyy orgjrra obgu fcnprf orpbzrf guvaare ng na rire vapernfvat engr, naq nf gur onpxebbzf pbagvahrf gb ribyir, jung unccraf arkg, naq jvyy jr or noyr gb fnir bhefryirf?

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#192

Post by daveisfera »

spartanatreyu wrote: post #191
daveisfera wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I watched the YouTube series and didn't notice anything specific that it added or answered. It provided a bit more context about ASync, but that wasn't really a core part of the movie (or at least didn't actually answer anything other than they had discovered it and had been researching/experimenting with it). Is there something I missed?

Spoilers below (use rot13 to decipher): Vg nafjrerq gur gvzryvar bs ubj gur onpxebbzf jrer perngrq. Va 1972 Vina Orpx jnf qbvat culfvpf rkcrevzragf naq jnf noyr gb znxr znggre qvfnccrne sebz bhe fcnpr. Bapr ur svtherq bhg gung vg unq orra genafcbegrq vagb n qvssrerag fcnpr, ur crgvgvbarq gur tbireazrag sbe rkgen shaqvat. Vs gur HF tbireazrag pbhyq perngr rkgen fcnpr ng jvyy, vg jbhyq or n fpvragvsvp oernxguebhtu ba g…

That's a fascinating concept and interesting story but I didn't see it told in either the movie or the YouTube shorts. There's tons of little pieces you've referenced but neither really does more than just throw a bunch of stuff at the wall. Basically, my concern/complaint is that there's a lot of interesting concepts there and you could pull those threads for a long time, but now of it is really developed or delivered on in either the movie or the YouTube shorts.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#193

Post by famouswaffles »

legitster wrote: post #79
darth_avocado wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Matt Damon talked about this somewhere. The risk aversion stems from the move away from DVD sales. Historically a lot of low and mid budget movies relied on DVD sales to recoup costs even if theater releases didn’t get you as much money as you expected. With the safety net gone, studios don’t want to take the risk. They make big budget movies with massive marketing budgets that rely on known IP and established fan ba…

I think this explanation is incomplete. There were still plenty of mid-size movies after the DVD era that still had profitable theatrical releases. The prototypical example to me is Baby Driver. Pre-Covid there was simply not enough major weekends to release a big movie. They end up competing with each other. Sure, Baby Driver made $300m on a $40m budget. But for pure profit maximization you are better off making a b…

>Sure, Baby Driver made $300m on a $40m budget. But for pure profit maximization you are better off making a billion dollars on a $500m budget.

Lol no you're not. $1B off a 500M production budget would be a disaster bordering on a flop. You've not taking marketing into account. You've not taking having to split earnings with theaters into account. Baby Driver is the more desired outcome 10/10.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#194

Post by spartanatreyu »

daveisfera wrote: post #192
spartanatreyu wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spoilers below (use rot13 to decipher): Vg nafjrerq gur gvzryvar bs ubj gur onpxebbzf jrer perngrq. Va 1972 Vina Orpx jnf qbvat culfvpf rkcrevzragf naq jnf noyr gb znxr znggre qvfnccrne sebz bhe fcnpr. Bapr ur svtherq bhg gung vg unq orra genafcbegrq vagb n qvssrerag fcnpr, ur crgvgvbarq gur tbireazrag sbe rkgen shaqvat. Vs gur HF tbireazrag pbhyq perngr rkgen fcnpr ng jvyy, vg jbhyq or n fpvragvsvp oernxguebhtu ba g…

That's a fascinating concept and interesting story but I didn't see it told in either the movie or the YouTube shorts. There's tons of little pieces you've referenced but neither really does more than just throw a bunch of stuff at the wall. Basically, my concern/complaint is that there's a lot of interesting concepts there and you could pull those threads for a long time, but now of it is really developed or deliver…

All of what I said (except the direct reference to the movie crossing over) came from Kane Pixel's youtube series.

Make sure you're not getting confused with random analog-horror / backrooms videos from random creators. Those videos are connected to the movie in any way.

Kane Pixels (Kane Parson)'s youtube series and the movie were both made by him and are in the same canon. It's definitely a canon where you need to pay attention and rewatch things to see the connections. It's probably the closest thing Hollywood has ever been to a House of Leaves style story.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#195

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

mrandish wrote: post #188
mrandish wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (including the musical episode) Oh... you had to go and bring up the musical episode. :-) Let me preface with: I actually like some more modern, top-tier musicals. I saw Wicked on Broadway with the original cast and was blown away by how good it was. Greatest Showman has 3 killer songs and I have 3 or 4 songs from Rent on my playlist, even though I've never seen the play. As for the broader musical genre, I don't m…

I'll add one other thought which just occurred to me: Most of the serious fans who like the "gimmick" episodes such as the musical and Lower Decks cross-over, like them because of the gimmick. Whether the specific reason is that it's so different, creative, fun, well-executed etc - it's still about the gimmick. While various gimmick episodes certainly have their fans, those episodes are not commonly found near the to…

I agree about the difference between "great episodes with gimmicks" and "episodes with great gimmicks" and I'd put the SNW musical episode into the latter - it was them having fun with the whole premise and probably shouldn't be considered canon.

Personally, I enjoy it when writers/producers try out an experiment and have particular episodes that don't really fit in with the themes and expectations of the series as a whole, but they do tend to polarise people.

The classic example that I think of with regards to musical episodes is the Buffy The Vampire Slayer epsiode "Once More, With Feeling". Joss Whedon had been experimenting with different concepts, such as "Hush" (the opposite of a musical episode) and "The Body" (stunning piece of television in my view), so throwing in a musical episode wasn't completely unexpected, but that particular episode pushed forwards and resolving some major plot points with characters revealing deep secrets.

(It's interesting that the three Buffy episodes I mentioned are considered the best episodes despite them having dramatically different styles).

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#196

Post by spartanatreyu »

spartanatreyu wrote: post #194
daveisfera wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a fascinating concept and interesting story but I didn't see it told in either the movie or the YouTube shorts. There's tons of little pieces you've referenced but neither really does more than just throw a bunch of stuff at the wall. Basically, my concern/complaint is that there's a lot of interesting concepts there and you could pull those threads for a long time, but now of it is really developed or deliver…

All of what I said (except the direct reference to the movie crossing over) came from Kane Pixel's youtube series. Make sure you're not getting confused with random analog-horror / backrooms videos from random creators. Those videos are connected to the movie in any way. Kane Pixels (Kane Parson)'s youtube series and the movie were both made by him and are in the same canon. It's definitely a canon where you need to…

*Those videos are NOT connected

(too late to make edits)

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#197

Post by Jordan-117 »

deadbabe wrote: post #30

Now that Backrooms has been a hit, I wonder if we’ll ever get a House of Leaves movie, which was somewhat of an inspiration for the original backrooms lore.

I recall Danielewski sharing a spec script for a possible TV series some years ago. Appropriately, it referenced itself and treated the show as a real thing within its own universe.

In the meantime, claymation studio Laika has a faithful adaptation of "Piranesi" in the pipeline. It's more dreamlike and beautiful than gothic horror, but it does center on a similar concept of an infinite structure existing beyond physically reality that reflects human thought in enigmatic ways.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#198

Post by Jordan-117 »

ChrisArchitect wrote: post #17

The what? Horror something? ....started on 4chan? Yeah, immediate aboutface here. And reading wiki articles about it that throw around words like "creepypasta" like that's widely understood? Liminal spaces I get. Reminds of Severance . And anyways, how is this worth going to a theater for? A24 has done well. Is 81M considered breaching 'mainstream'? Because these niche horror things being portrayed as part of the gre…

The original videos have tens of millions of views, became extremely popular memes online, and the movie is now the biggest-ever opening for an independent film. It's not niche, just a bottom-up internet-driven thing.

If it helps, there's some stratification that makes understanding it a bit confusing at first. There's basically four layers:

- The original 4chan post, a vaguely unsettling photo of an odd yellow room with an evocative caption about it being a vast realm outside reality that you can accidentally fall into to be stalked by unseen monsters.

- This post went viral and kicked off the "creepy liminal spaces" trend, where people found or created unnerving images of dark or abandoned places that are normally busy, like malls, schools, hotels, airports, etc.

- This evolved into the idea that the original yellow Backrooms is just one of infinitely-many connected environments/levels, each reflecting a different surreal aesthetic: tiled pools, children's playspaces, empty suburbs, etc. People also invented their own weird creatures that inhabited them (think the SCP Foundation stuff crossed with Five Nights at Freddy's). This resulted in an explosion of videos, wikis, and indie games exploring and expanding the concept.

- Kane Parsons created a more restrained and focused version of the above in his YouTube series, dispensing with the profusion of levels and monsters and drilling down on various first-person, found-footage explorations of the original Backrooms and glimpses of the mysterious company researching it. His take became by far the most popular, and landed him the director role for the film, which has turned out to be quite thoughtful and well-done.

I definitely recommend checking it out if you like surreal psychological horror. It's good even if you're not familiar with his web series.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#199

Post by krapp »

gcr wrote: post #77
ramenat2am wrote: post #12

That really shows the hunger for original stories and IC among cinephiles. Major studios were too afraid to produce something fresh instead of numberless sequels and reboots in the last decade or so.

Between this, Iron Lung, and The Amazing Digital Circus finale getting a cinema release, I think this is shaping up to be a great year for small movie productions

The Amazing Digital Circus finale got completely shat on by fans after they leaked the ending and harassed Gooseworx because they didn't like it.

Is it worth being involved in indie production when success just guarantees a hate campaign against you? It will probably happen over Backrooms soon enough.

Re: 'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut

#200

Post by gcr »

krapp wrote: post #199
gcr wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between this, Iron Lung, and The Amazing Digital Circus finale getting a cinema release, I think this is shaping up to be a great year for small movie productions

The Amazing Digital Circus finale got completely shat on by fans after they leaked the ending and harassed Gooseworx because they didn't like it. Is it worth being involved in indie production when success just guarantees a hate campaign against you? It will probably happen over Backrooms soon enough.

That’s an amazingly pessimistic take, and a shortsighted one. Glitch and the TADC team are more than just one person. Gooseworx is burned out, but her work helped kickstart many early careers among her staff. I think the only people who characterize TADC as a failure are folks who consume too much social media.

Like most projects, some indie productions (like TADC) end in creator burnout, others (like iron lung) end in moderate success, most probably end somewhere in between. We saw this with undertale, lights out, hazbin hotel, primer, el mariachi…

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