The Masculine Urge to Explore the Backrooms

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Look, I get why people are talking about this, but let me explain what’s going on with the Backrooms. It’s not about gender, really. The creator, Kane Parsons, intentionally designed the Backrooms to be a neutral space – it doesn’t have a personality of its own. It’s this endless maze that takes pieces of everyone who wanders through it, and builds… well, something that isn’t really anything specific. That lack of identity is actually what makes it so terrifying. The Backrooms are a blank slate, reflecting whatever you bring into it, even if it’s your deepest fears. However, there are two characters that stand out, and they both happen to be women, adding another layer to this already unsettling place.

The film Backrooms centers on Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his growing fascination with a mysterious series of rooms, which offer him solace during a difficult period. Divorced, in debt, and living above his struggling furniture store, Clark stumbles upon a hidden passage. He’s a man who struggles with admitting fault, and the rooms allow him to feel in control and adventurous. However, explaining this discovery is challenging. His therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve), is skeptical, so Clark recruits his young assistant manager, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), and her boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), to document their exploration of the rooms, hoping to prove their existence to both Mary and himself.

Kat really doesn’t want to return, and immediately wants to leave as soon as she enters. Bobby, though, is somewhat caught up in Clark’s excitement, or at least finds the strange environment amusing. For a moment, the story almost becomes focused on the generational differences between Kat and Bobby, with them constantly pointing out everything odd. However, the creators quickly move past that, punishing both their curiosity and lack of interest with the same fate. When Mary enters the backrooms to find Clark, it becomes clear she shares Kat’s lack of enthusiasm for what’s happening there.

Clark attempts to explain the strange events to Mary, but she’s more focused on escaping her captivity than understanding the complex science or magic at play. While Mary has her own past struggles, she wisely avoids adding to the chaos. She deliberately stays detached – unlike many heroes in horror films, she doesn’t have the energy to delve into the mystery, and she certainly isn’t interested in unraveling it like the men are.

The appeal of Backrooms lies in its simplicity – it’s immediately understandable, even if you’re unfamiliar with internet culture or the anxieties of younger generations. While those who explore it may have different levels of curiosity, everyone eventually realizes something is wrong, though the reason why might not be important. This reminds me of the “Roman Empire” meme, which jokingly suggests men constantly think about Rome while women focus on more practical concerns. While it’s unfair to oversimplify the film, it essentially highlights how women tend to prioritize finding a way out of a bad situation, while men get lost in overthinking it. This difference has often been a downfall for female characters in horror, but in Backrooms, a woman’s lack of interest in the backstory actually keeps her alive.

When finally asked about her experiences, Mary struggles to explain what happened to her. While she might be traumatized, her expression reveals a deeper sense of anger. She seems to believe that an explanation isn’t important, especially when people’s lives are on the line. She feels it’s almost offensive to think that anything she reveals about her time in captivity could cause more harm than good, or prevent others from escaping their situations. In a promotional video for the film, A24 combined footage of Renate Reinsve in interviews with scenes from the movie. Reinsve says, “I thought I was done with being in this space,” and it feels like she’s speaking not only for herself, but also for her character, Mary.

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2026-06-02 16:54