Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima watched the horror film "The Backrooms of Reality" by director Kane Parsons and shared his impressions on social media. The game designer was particularly impressed by the film's unsettling atmosphere, its use of liminal spaces, and the connection of its visual language to old video games:
"The Backrooms" is a world where nostalgia and novelty collide in the guise of art. I am simply amazed. It reminds me of pseudo-3D games from the 2D era, the very beginnings of RPGs and the times of the Family Computer (NES) — even before polygons and textures. Simulated 3D spaces built from looped and repeating visual elements: digital labyrinths, unconstrained by the usual laws of architecture. I used to draw maps on graph paper just to understand where I was. This feeling of confinement, this sense of anxiety — both come alive here in the format of live-action cinema. The art direction is incredibly clever: it combines elements of art, architecture, and psychology. This is a 21st-century version of "CUBE" in the style of liminal spaces — a work of surrealism and cubism, where 1980s video games and the modern world connect across dimensions.
In the comments under the post, gamers and Kojima fans have already started actively joking and urging the genius to personally meet with the young director. Many are confident that Parsons is the ideal candidate to go to Kojima Productions studio, undergo scanning, and get a cameo in one of the maestro's future projects.
"The Backrooms of Reality" tells the story of a furniture store owner who discovers a door to an endless labyrinth of empty rooms. The film is the feature-length debut of Kane Parsons, who previously released short films based on the "Backrooms" creepypasta on his YouTube channel. The main roles were played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.
The horror film's production budget was approximately $10 million. Global box office receipts have already reached $389.7 million, making the film the highest-grossing release in A24 studio's history. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 87% positive reviews from critics and 74% audience approval.