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Fanmade ‘Ring’ Short Film is Surprisingly Really, Really Good
A fanmade short film that essentially continues the story The Ring has been released and it is surprisingly incredibly well made and looks beautiful. Written and directed by Todd Kaumans and Jess Stipek of Trico Films, the short film follows reporter Rachel Keller (originally played by Naomi Watts in the remake and its sequel) as she investigates the disappearances of several children on Moesko Island, the home of the Morgan family, four years after the events of the original film. It is there that she runs into the brother of Richard Morgan and realizes that the past refuses to remain buried.
What got me about this short film is a few things. First, the actress they got to play Rachel looks incredibly similar to Naomi Watts, even going so far as to nail the wardrobe. Second, the look is spot on. They got the dark, muted colors and atmosphere of dread and unease down perfectly. And when needed, the practical FX looked damn good. Lastly, by using the music of Hans Zimmer, it really drove home how connected the stories are.
If you have 6-7 minutes, I highly recommend giving this short a peek!
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
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