In the endless corridors "« Behind the scenes »"In Kane Parsons's novel, a unique monster roams the borderlands with other vile creatures.
There is a kind of distorted ecosystem in the other world - some elements can be traced back to Parsons' content.« Behind the scenes »" on YouTube and the digital folklore that preceded it, but the monster is a new, intriguing creation.
Here's everything you need to know about the monster and the mysteries behind the scenes of the series "« Behind the Scenes» .
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Why is there a monster in "Backstage"?
Before it became a box office hit, "Behind the Scenes" was a viral creepypasta, a collaborative project that anyone on the internet could contribute to.
And so it remains—beyond the A24 film, Behind the Scenes continues to inspire new interpretations, sparking online discussions about the canon.
Some fans believe Backstage is best left empty, viewing the monsters as a cheap distraction from the existential horror of the endless office space.
Others claim that the labyrinth requires a minotaur, and point to a mysterious creature that has been lurking in the Backstage since the beginning.
The original creepypasta that inspired the phenomenon (posted on 4chan in 2019) is the only canonical document of the "Behind the Scenes" series—the post implies the presence of the monster, but does not describe it.
This mysterious creature is interpreted differently on the Internet, but in Kane Parsons' book "« Behind the scenes »"It is assumed that the monster is a psychological phenomenon.
What is this "behind the scenes monster"?
Parsons' YouTube series features a monster (or monsters) from "Behind the Scenes" known as "Life Form.".
This life form emerges from a black bacterial mold that infests yellow wallpaper and damp carpets. The mold takes the form of a tall, bipedal creature, resembling a schematic human figure or a distorted skeleton.
The monster in Parsons' film is more human, a twisted version of the protagonist, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), dressed as a pirate to symbolize his hated job as a furniture salesman.
It is unclear whether the monster is related to «Behind the Scenes» with "The Shape of Life" from Parsons' YouTube series.
It may be composed of the same substance, evolving into a fleshy body but retaining the same long, distorted proportions.
Thematically, the monster represents Clark's shadow.
Monsters devour Clark
The monster is the embodiment of everything Clark hates about himself: his stagnation, despair, and drunken aggression.
When they find the monster's lair, located beneath a slippery slope, it turns out to be filled with dirty laundry. The lair resembles the room of someone stuck in a depressive state, like Clark.
It seems to collect memorabilia from the outside world, perhaps striving to become human.
At first, Clark runs from the creature in terror, but after going mad and accepting Backstage as his home (and ultimate refuge from reality), he learns to love his monster.
However, as soon as Clark tells his monster that they "don't need to change" because his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinswe), has confirmed his delusion, the monster promptly bites him.
Up until this point, Clark and his monster had been living in complete peace, so why did he decide to eat him?
This moment marks the point of no return, as Clark forces his therapist to validate his worth, giving up any opportunity for personal growth—Clark becomes consumed by his worst self.
This moment refers to Francisco Goya's painting "Saturn Devouring His Son.".
The painting is believed to depict the myth of the Greek Titan who devours his own offspring, fearing that one of his children will overthrow him.
This scene may be a reverse dynamic: the monster devours Clark to take his place.
Either way, Clark's decision to deny reality and embrace his monster dooms him.
Who are these people hiding behind the scenes?
One of the most frightening moments in «Behind the Scenes» - This is when Clark runs past a Christmas tree and is then attacked by horribly disfigured people.
They are later shown in full detail, with Clarke living alongside them. It's unclear whether they are truly alive, as they appear to lack free will and the ability to feel pain.
Clark even eats them, demonstrating that he has transformed into his monster (they are filled with a mysterious substance that looks like furniture filler, but is edible, according to Clark).
Clarke explains that these are the memories of real people from the outside, absorbed into the consciousness of those who end up in the Backstage.
As far as Clarke understands, the layout, objects, and inhabitants of Backstage are taken from the real world, and the otherworldly space is capable of creating only empty, distorted copies.
The disfigured people resemble another character from Parsons' YouTube series, known as "Still Life.".
Still lifes are also distorted copies of people, but in the series they are depicted as aggressive. In «Behind the Scenes» They are calm and seem to care little about their own well-being.
The woman with red hair appears to be a replica of Clark's ex-wife, or at least resembles her, to the point that he cuts off her hair, a makeshift wig for the role-playing role of Mary.
Clearly, Clark would rather surround himself with these empty personalities than have a difficult conversation with a real person full of annoying opinions, wants, and needs.
When the monster appears, the red-haired woman shows self-preservation instinct and runs away in terror, perhaps reflecting Clark's ex-wife's feelings towards him.
Why was there a seagull in "Backstage"?
Behind the Scenes only makes low-quality copies, but at the beginning of the film there was a seagull that appears to be an ordinary bird.
Seagull may have been unlucky: she slipped through the entrance and now found herself trapped in the Backstage, unable to get through.
However, the fact that the monster is dressed as a pirate suggests that the seagull's presence is symbolic, alluding to sailors' superstitions associated with seabirds.
Killing a seagull is considered bad luck, and Clark's discovery of the dead bird in Behind the scenes became an omen for him.
Some sailors believed that seagulls carried the souls of drowned sailors, that is, they considered these birds to be transient creatures capable of moving between the earthly and spiritual worlds.
It is quite possible that this is the case in «Behind the Scenes» , since the seagull is the only animal we see in the border area, and it can probably fly in and out freely.
This could prove useful to the mysterious research company Async.
What is asynchrony?
Async, a former MRI manufacturer, was featured in a series of Parsons YouTube videos long before the film's release. Backrooms from A24.
The company has gone from mapping the mind to exploring behind-the-scenes areas, opening up a new gateway.
As researcher Mary reveals in the film's surprise ending, access to the Backstage is open everywhere, and the company is determined to uncover its secrets.
The entrances to the Backstage are located near Lost Souls, attracting traumatized individuals that Async can potentially recruit to explore the space.
The company also seems to be interested in the creatures that appear in the Backstage, and even sets traps to catch them.
What do the cavemen figures represent in the film "Behind the Scenes"?
Throughout the Backstage area, several cardboard cutouts of the mysterious caveman are placed, connected to a communication device that broadcasts audio greetings in several languages.
These are obviously not living people, but they are mistaken for them several times in the film. A similar figure also appears in Parsons' web series.
It seems the cavemen serve as a beacon, attracting lost travelers so that Async can find, rescue, and recruit them.
The image of a caveman symbolizes early life, perhaps hinting at the mysterious ecosystem Behind the scenes will develop and grow as the story progresses.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com.