The Techno-thriller Series That Inspired Kane Parsons' Backrooms Movie

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"Backrooms" might seem like an out-of-nowhere phenomenon to those who haven't been paying attention, but its success is actually somewhat easy to understand. At a time when franchise filmmaking has dragged on long enough for certain examples of established IP to mostly just end up cannibalizing itself (looking at you, "The Mandalorian and Grogu"), here comes something that genuinely feels fresh and new. That's due in large part to the wide range of influences that director Kane Parsons appears to be pulling from — which includes his own original YouTube web series, the popular video game series "Portal" (as he explained to Letterboxd here), and, most intriguingly, a classic TV show that makes a ton of sense as a point of reference.

In a neat conversation between filmmakers, io9/Gizmodo published a transcript of "Mr. Robot" creator Sam Esmail speaking with Parsons in a one-on-one interview setting. Of the many cool tidbits and insights, one in particular reveals that the "Backrooms" director actually envisioned his adaptation as an episodic series rather than a movie. When the conversation inevitably shifts to Esmail's experiences working on "Mr. Robot," Parsons explains how the techno-thriller starring Rami Malek actually inspired his own approach to "Backrooms" ... after watching it all the way through "eight or nine times" in total. As he put it:

"I'm embarrassing myself saying that. But I think I enjoy living in the world of ['Mr. Robot']. And, like, the tone that sort of gets soaked up. It feels very in line with the way that my — this is a thing I'm sure a lot of people say — but it just feels complementary to the way I like to try to feel reality in general."

Peter Kramer/USA Network

In many ways, a movie like "Backrooms" could've only come from the mind of someone born and raised in the internet age ... which only makes it all the more fitting that a technology-focused show like "Mr. Robot" played such an integral role in its creation. The acclaimed USA Network series followed Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a brilliant but disaffected hacker with his own tenuous grip on reality. Suffering from depression, dissociative identity disorder, and paranoia, his recurring mental struggles play a large role in his mission to take down the societal elites hoarding the world's wealth and power. Yes, the off-kilter visuals and foreboding atmosphere of the series adds even more connective tissue with "Backrooms." But, according to Kane Parsons, this actually served as one of the chief influences behind his original YouTube shorts, as well.

Later in his chat with Sam Esmail, the YouTuber-turned-director explained how coming across "Mr. Robot" in 2021 (well after the series concluded) ultimately fueled the "Backrooms" shorts that followed in the years after. "I had done that [first viral 'Backrooms'] video," he explained. "But I had a little story in my brain for a little bit. I think the three things that I consumed that sort of gelled to propel me to really make the series [were] probably like Channel Four's 'Utopia,' 'Mr. Robot,' and then 'Devs.'"

Considering the fracturing mental state of "Backrooms" main character Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), those fraught therapy sessions with Renate Reinsve's Mary, and the overall dreamlike vibe to it all, it's easy to see how "Mr. Robot" could've sparked Parsons' imagination in a big way. We, like many moviegoers, are sure glad it did. "Backrooms" is now playing in theaters everywhere.