No sound, no problem. Spectators at the Pathé Odysseum in Montpellier improvised as voice actors during a screening of the film Backrooms Wednesday June 17, the day of its release. The cinema had a small technical problem at the start of the screening: there was the image, but not the soundtrack. The projectionist had to restart the horror film several times before the sound came back. To wait, the spectators began to read the French subtitles out loud, and to dub Backrooms.
As we can see, and especially hear, in the video above, the first scene became more funny than scary with the improvised dubbing. Some even imitated the sound of a seagull making a sudden appearance in the backrooms.
Le phénomène « Backrooms »
The film, directed by Kane Parsons, is inspired by the famous urban internet legend about backrooms, abandoned basement offices, yellowed wallpaper and labyrinthine corridors. Despite its meager budget and the age (21) of its director, it was a hit in the United States, and the big success in the history of the A24 studio.
The main character, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is the manager of a furniture store with no customers. One day, he discovers that his workplace has a back door leading to a mysterious empty space. He decides to explore it to understand how it works and its origins, to the point of getting lost. At the same time, his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve) goes looking for him.
After having watched the very beginning of the film no less than three times, filmed in a manner found footagespectators at the Pathé Odysseum were able to discover the rest of the story. The technical sound problem was eventually resolved, and Backrooms was screened as planned, in the original version with French subtitles. The spectators will at least have a good laugh before shivering with fear.
