Episode 368: Philip Granger enters ‘Backrooms’

Philip Granger returns to the #YVRScreenScenePodcast to discuss Backrooms, the feature-length horror film that enjoyed the biggest global opening weekend in A24’s history. Based on Internet lore, Backrooms takes place beyond a hidden doorway discovered in the basement wall of a failing furniture store, in an endless, unsettling dimension populated by office corridors, warped furniture, and echoes of reality. The film is a phenomenal depiction of liminal space, and conveys the thrill and the horror of places in transition. And the fact that the film is set during an especially liminal year – 1989, when the analog world would soon be replaced by a rapidly globalized digital one – and that we in the audience exist at yet another liminal threshold (post-pandemic and hurtling towards a world where AI will exercise even more sway over our lives) makes Backrooms even more thrilling and horrifying. Phil appears in a memorable role as the Meterman, a grounded character who, in Phil’s honest and compassionate hands, has garnered fans and inspired artwork around the world. 

In this fascinating and far-reaching conversation, Phil discusses his journey to and through Backrooms, including working with the exceptionally talented 20-year-old director Kane Parsons. Phil – who is head of the acting faculty at New Image College –also contemplates the changes sweeping the film and television industry, and offers some advice for actors who want to get unstuck. Also: honesty in acting; the importance of enduring friendships; the kids are actually alright; the unexpected lessons of the pandemic.

YVR Screen Scene is a division of Fish Flight Entertainment.