Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of the horror film Backrooms, has expressed strong opposition to artificial intelligence becoming prevalent in the film industry. During an interview with The Australian, Parsons explained his perspective on generative AI tools and their potential impact on Hollywood.
Parsons stated that he derives no satisfaction from using AI technology in his creative work. He characterized his position as aligned with most reasonable people who share similar concerns about the technology's role in entertainment production.
The director's core argument centers on the fundamental purpose of filmmaking itself. According to Parsons, relying on generative AI undermines what filmmaking is actually meant to accomplish. This viewpoint reflects growing apprehension within the creative community about artificial intelligence potentially displacing human creativity and artistic decision-making across the entertainment industry.
Parsons made his feature directorial debut with Backrooms, a conceptual horror film adapted from his own web series and scripted by Will Soodik. The film draws inspiration from multiple sources including Japanese horror cinema, the found footage anthology series V/H/S, and contemporary television projects. The story follows two protagonists, Clark and Mary, who become trapped in mysterious spaces known as backrooms, which appear to be infinite installations reflecting fragmented versions of reality and memory.
The production demonstrates significant technical achievement in its practical and digital design work. Production designer Danny Vermette created the film's distinctive visual environment by combining actual constructed sets with digital fabrication. Cinematographer Jeremy Cox collaborated to establish a distinctly oppressive atmosphere, utilizing a yellowish, washed-out lighting scheme that evokes the fluorescent glow of shopping malls and office buildings. This aesthetic choice creates an unsettling ambiance throughout the film, contributing to its effectiveness as horror cinema.
The cast includes notable performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a struggling architect turned furniture store manager, and Renate Reinsve as Mary, a therapist with her own emotional wounds. The narrative builds progressively toward a climax incorporating various scare techniques, from sudden jump scares to subtle moments of unease.
Parsons' comments about AI in filmmaking come at a time when the entertainment industry grapples with how artificial intelligence should be integrated, if at all, into creative processes. His stance emphasizes the value of human creativity and intentional artistic choices in cinema. The director's position suggests that for filmmakers like himself, the appeal of moviemaking lies precisely in the human elements that generative AI cannot replicate, from conceptual development through final execution.
Backrooms was released on May 28 in Australia and May 29 in the United Kingdom and United States.