The distinct subgenre of "survivalone" films, characterized by a solitary protagonist navigating a dangerous environment with minimal exposition, finds compelling new entries in the recent horror releases Backrooms and Exit 8. These films, while not directly adapted from video games, share a thematic and atmospheric resonance with the medium, offering tense explorations of isolation and mystery.
Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, draws its inspiration from a 2019 4chan creepypasta and subsequent YouTube series, rather than directly from the numerous Backrooms games. The film centers on Clark, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a man whose life has unraveled. His discovery of a crack in a basement wall leads him into the titular Backrooms, an endless labyrinth of unsettlingly familiar yet distorted office spaces. The film excels in its initial depiction of this environment, utilizing practical sets totaling 30,000 square feet to create a disorienting maze of "slightly askew" architecture, buzzing fluorescents, and stale, mustard-colored decor. The sense of "claustrophobia and agoraphobia"—being surrounded by walls yet aware of the terrifying vastness beyond—is palpable. Ejiofor delivers a strong performance, complemented by Renate Reinsve as Clark's therapist, Mary, who also becomes lost within the maze.
Navigating Liminal Spaces
The film’s early sequences, particularly a gripping found-footage exploration and Clark's first descent into the Backrooms, effectively convey a slow-burn dread. However, the narrative shifts to found-footage for extended periods, diminishing its impact, and a move towards more overt horror later in its runtime causes it to "tread water a bit." Despite these pacing issues, the film is considered a strong entry and leaves room for a potential sequel.
Exit 8, a film closely mirroring the game of the same name, plunges its protagonist, "The Lost Man" played by Kazunari Ninomiya, into a repeating series of subway tunnels. The objective, mirroring the game, is to identify subtle "anomalies" or deviations within the seemingly identical corridors to advance toward an exit. The film captures the game's core tension by placing the audience alongside the character, experiencing his meticulous search and the frustration of having to restart upon error. This "great, tense fun" is amplified by exceedingly long, unbroken shots, or "oners," that follow Ninomiya through the labyrinthine station. Like Backrooms, Exit 8 also shifts focus to include other characters trapped within the bizarre pocket universe, and both films subtly explore the psychological toll of being lost in such disorienting, liminal spaces, touching on themes of trauma, fear, and guilt.
While Exit 8, like its game counterpart which can be completed in under an hour, struggles to sustain its creepiness over its entire runtime and doesn't quite match the impact of its overt horror elements, both films are praised for their quiet, tense, and creepy atmosphere. They offer a refreshing alternative to more exposition-heavy narratives, successfully bringing the unsettling allure of videogame-adjacent horror to the screen in a thoughtful manner. Backrooms is currently in theaters, while Exit 8 is available for rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.