ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Kane Parsons' 'Backrooms' Monster Explained: Clark's Shadow and the Lifeform

other · 2026-05-31

Kane Parsons' A24 film 'Backrooms' introduces a monster that is a psychological manifestation of the protagonist Clark's self-hatred, representing his stagnation, despair, and drunken aggression. The creature devours Clark after he abandons growth, referencing Francisco Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son'. The film also features disfigured humanoid 'Still Lifes'—hollow copies of real people absorbed from the minds of those who enter the liminal space. A seagull appears as a symbol, possibly able to move between realms, and is linked to the research company Async, which explores the Backrooms through openings near traumatized individuals. Cardboard caveman cutouts serve as beacons for Async to recruit lost travelers. The monster may be related to 'the Lifeform' from Parsons' YouTube series, a bipedal entity spawned from black mold. The film expands on the original 2019 4chan creepypasta, which implied a monster but left it undefined.

Key facts

  • The monster represents Clark's shadow self, embodying his self-hatred and despair.
  • Clark is devoured by the monster after telling it they 'don't have to change', referencing Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son'.
  • Disfigured people in the film are 'Still Lifes', hollow copies of real people absorbed from minds entering the Backrooms.
  • A seagull in the film may be a transient creature able to move between realms, linked to sailor superstitions.
  • Async, a company that once manufactured MRI machines, explores the Backrooms and recruits traumatized individuals.
  • Cardboard caveman cutouts with audio greetings are used by Async to attract lost travelers.
  • The monster may be related to 'the Lifeform' from Parsons' YouTube series, a bipedal entity from black mold.
  • The original Backrooms creepypasta was posted to 4chan in 2019 and implied a monster without describing it.

Entities

Artists

  • Kane Parsons
  • Francisco Goya
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor
  • Renate Reinsve

Institutions

  • A24
  • Async
  • Forbes

Locations

  • Backrooms

Sources