obsession and backrooms spoilers below (nothing deep and not a proper review i just wanna talk about them)
can i pleaseeee please please talk about this movie 😭
i just saw it for the third time in theaters and i swear it never gets any less amazing. i’ll never be able to capture the actual terror i felt watching it for the first time (soooo rare after almost three decades of being a horror nerd 😭) which is so very sad but it’s been such a treat getting to search for every detail and grow to appreciate it more and more and also see it from every angle in the theater apparently! i watched it super close to the screen last time and that was really fun 💀
also i’m very grateful i saw it for the first time when i did because my other two showings have gotten progressively worse when it comes to theater etiquette
i really think a horror movie that makes me feel like this only comes around maybe a couple times a decade. i absolutely live for that feeling that’s like “i just saw something really special” and also “that genuinely scared tf out of me” at the same time. the last movie i left feeling so utterly changed was hereditary, which also really blew my mind the first time i saw it and left me with that deep fuzzy feeling that there are still people out there making brutal, original, effective horror because they love the genre. i looooove love love to see it.
my favorite kind of horror is the quieter type, the scares where something’s lurking in the shadows that the movie doesn’t throw in your face, or when the scares are actually something horrifying happening on screen instead of a loud noise or something jumping out at you. it takes so much skill and they pulled it off so perfectly in this movie. my favorite scene is the one where nikki watches bear sleep. it’s so incredibly effective (especially the makeup they do for inde when she’s crying in the corner omfg) while also being like “hahaha what the fuck 😀” i cannot say enough about her performance in this movie. she’s incredible and i don’t think the movie would be the same (or as good) with anyone else as nikki. the way she delivers some lines (“watching you sleep. you’re so cute when you sleep.” “yeah? i’m sorry. yeah?”) are such unique and interesting choices that work PERFECTLY to make each scene so fucking creepy even if nothing particularly creepy is happening.
that feeling is so pervasive throughout the whole film. there are definitely moments that make you laugh, but you’re also so extremely uncomfortable. like the whole scene at ian’s party, my god so good. i saw someone say this movie uses “tactical cringe” 😭 but then the car scene with sarah….actual perfection. i’m praying for the unrelated release because i’d love to see all the head smashes as curry barker intended thank uuu!!
also i don’t feel like i’m really smart enough to talk much on the themes (i’ve never been good at that) but there is something i really connected to here. like of course on the surface we’ve got what feels like a commentary on abusive/toxic relationships, added with the fact that when you dig deeper, bear is the one who completely stripped nikki’s autonomy away, who made her into this and is fine knowing he’s letting her suffer even though he claims to love her as long as he gets to pretend to be with her (specifically asking to alter the wish instead of cancelling it), which is most obvious/upsetting in the “sex scene” after their dinner date.
the way freaky nikki tries to emulate anything he loves—his cat sandy, dressing like the diner waitress during the “happy montage”, and obviously at the end where she wears sarah’s dress, draws on her tattoos, smokes her cigarettes, and even scalps her to wear her hair 😭 freaky nikki makes me feel so sad too justice for both nikki’s
also the score, my god!! it’s literally perfect. kind of synth-y, dreamy, and has that quality of seeming nice but being just a little off, just like the movie itself at times. the music that sounds beautiful and romantic but then turns into something that feels eerie, like something bad is going to happen. the music chosen i was also a big fan of (kids by current joys 😭)
and the cinematography. absolutely beautifully shot, the color palette and even the 1.50 : 1 aspect ratio give it the perfect feeling. the way curry barker plays with shadows is also genius. not only the scenes where nikki’s face is completely covered by shadows, adding to the tension and fear (and the scene where she comes over in the red dress and her face is all shadows except for the two glowing lights reflecting off her eyes, omfg), but even just the way shadows are used to change the characters’ appearance at different times.
my first viewing i watched the whole thing terrified but completely unable to wipe the smile off my face. like just pure delight lmao 😭😭 like i’m not trying to overhype (even though i personally feel like it’s impossible to overhype this one 🤪) but i actually just feel like this movie is perfection at least to me. please please i need more movies that make me feel like this. i also got to take the promotional thing with all nikki’s sticky notes that goes on the mirror from the theater and put it on my mirror at home 💀 i texted her number and now she only sends me shit at the creepiest times like thanks girl 😭 will be building my shrine when they give me the poster. also planned my tattoo already lmaooo
i am never going to be normal about this movie and i’m okay with that
a love only the branch of a willow tree could conjure
i was pretty excited to see this one even though i didn’t have any real expectations and know absolutely nothing about backrooms lore, so i was just along for the ride.
this one did not scare me whatsoever sadly but i never really fault a movie for that alone. and this one was soooo well made, like visually it was a treat to look at the whole time 😭 i can’t say enough about how good the set design is, every room is stunning and weird and amazing. i was really impressed to hear they actually built all of these for the movie.
i kind of talked about this a bit with obsession, but i loveee uncanny horror. it unsettles me to my core. i love that feeling like “this is a normal thing that should make you feel comfortable but something is off about it”. both movies did this really well imo
i think my biggest let down with backrooms is that the ending kind of ruined any tension or fear it had been building the whole time for me. like it just got a little too silly 😭 but overall not bad and the movie is very very well made and i look forward to seeing what else kane parsons directs in the future because i def think he has the potential to make more cool and unique stuff! he should def be proud of himself for this 😭
also thank god boys in crop tops in horror movies are back
anyway lmk if i should talk about movies more sometimes i’ve been seeing like 5 in a day once a week at the theater recently 💀 new favorite hobby. if anyone wants to discuss at all PLEASEEEE do my asks are always open for discussion
