Wanderer (2024)

The Main Hall of Level 5, also known as the Terror Hotel, one of the most memorable locations in Wanderer

Wanderer is a 2024 psychological horror film directed by Ari Aster and produced by A24 Studios. It is the second installment in The Backrooms Trilogy, following the critically acclaimed NoCliped (2022). The film continues the story of Maria Diaz (Jenna Ortega) and Cindy Reynolds (Emma Myers) as they delve deeper into the mysterious Backrooms, while introducing several key characters and expanding the mythology of this unusual dimension.

Plot

Wanderer begins moments after the events of NoCliped, with Maria and Cindy having just escaped from the Partygoers via the intervention of the Major Explorer Group (M.E.G.). Their arrival at the M.E.G.'s primary research facility introduces Maria to Dr. Arnold Malkinson (Jack Nicholson), the organization's brilliant but enigmatic chief scientist. The film reveals Malkinson's own history as a CERN physicist who was transported to the Backrooms during a controversial particle acceleration experiment in 2015, an event that led to his eventual leadership role within the M.E.G.'s scientific division. He had actually helped Cindy survive in the Backrooms for some time, communicating with her through a cell phone found on Level 0 and guiding her towards safety to the M.E.G.’s headquarters on Level 11. She had been sent on a mission by the Doctor to Level 9 that ended disastrously and she ended trapped once more on Level 0, where she encountered Maria.

As Maria and Cindy become more involved with the M.E.G.'s operations after Dr. Malkinson promises them a way home, they encounter increasingly dangerous entities and explore new levels of the Backrooms. The parallel storyline follows Detective James Reynolds (David Tennant) as he investigates a series of disappearances in the real world, gradually uncovering evidence of the Backrooms' influence on our reality. Is in this sub-plot where it is revealed that Dr. Malkinson can travel between the real world and the Backrooms, clearly having lied to Maria, Cindy, and the M.E.G about not known of a way to return to the real world. In the real world, he seemingly toys with Reynolds, hindering and helping his investigation seemingly at whim.

In all of this though, despite the terror and fear, the romantic relationship between Maria and Cindy grows ever stronger as they traverse Levels 3, 4, and 5 on their to reach Level 11, where they could, at least for a time, be safe. And if they can’t escape the Backrooms, they can make a life on Level as it is home to tens of thousands of human beings, both Wanderers(The term the franchise uses for humans trapped in the Backrooms) and descendants of Wanderers. They make their way through the Level 5, the infamous Terror Hotel, where they encounter the usual entities as well two new such as the Deathmoths, giant moths the size of human beings, and the zombie-like Wretches. With the help of the local human residents of Level 5, the Homely Hotel faction, they help Maria and Cindy to safe area and Cindy takes Maria to a room she used as a safe house during her 6 months wandering the Backrooms. There she shows Maria something called Cashew Water, a dangerous counterpart to Almond Water that’s dangerous to humans and was found by the M.E.G. on Level 178.1, and a weapon she calls the Vorpal Sword, a object that Cindy found on Level 178.1 that is actually an effective weapon against Entities due to having Almond and Cashew Water contained inside it, created a effect that’s lethal to Entites. Cindy confesses to Maria that she did not did not tell Dr. Malkinson about the Vorpal Sword and that she doesn’t trust Dr. Malkinson and a series of flashbacks ensue that depict several unsettling, menacing encounters Cindy has had with Dr. Malkinson. In a emotional moment Maria promises Cindy she can trust her and that she loves her.

There then is a montage of Maria and Cindy exploring the safe areas of Level 5. This leads to a scene in the so called Eternal Ballroom where Maria and Cindy, having found 1920s style clothing, dance to music. This sequence ultimately culminates in a scene where Maria and Cindy make love to each other in their safe room. However the next day, just before departing to resume their journey, they ambushed by the Beast of Level 5, a Cthulhu-esque humanoid entity clad in a fine business suit who claims to rule Level 5. The entity tries to capture the two lovers with its powers, but Maria attacks it with the Vorpal Sword. This act fatally wounds the entity, though it insinuates it has had dealings with Dr. Malkinson and that it has damaged the M.E.G.’s ‘county jail’ before it perishes.

To her horror, Cindy realizes The Beast was referring to the M.E.G.’s Challenger Deep Facility, a M.E.G. research and containment facility established close to the Hive, a biological anomaly hidden in a cave that on Level 7 close to the entrance of Level 8. There the M.E.G. conducts research on the Backrooms’s more dangerous entities and the Backroom’s hidden mysteries. Fearing the Beast had somehow sabotaged the facility, Maria and Cindy make their way through Level 5’s Boiler Rooms and make a dangerous and tense journey through Level 6, which is cast in complete pitch-black darkness.

As this goes on, in the real world, Detective Reynolds realizes that somehow, Dr. Malkinson was responsible for the Edinburgh Incident, an incident at an department store in Edinburgh’s Old Town where dozens of shoppers, including Cindy, disappeared. In truth it was due to experiment by Dr. Malkinson to deliberately induce no-clipping events on a mass scale. After searching one of Malkinson’s safe houses in Edinburgh, Reynolds accidentally triggers a portal device and and soon finds himself in a dark, abandoned American-style suburb, what would later be revealed as Level 9. There he is surrounded by the Neighborhood Watch, grotesque entities native to Level 9 resembling giant human eyeballs.

Switching back to Maria and Cindy, they emerge at the entrance to Level 7, a massive ocean contained in an impossibly large concrete room hundreds of miles in circumference with a carpet at the bottom of the sea. To reach Challenger Deep, Maria and Cindy will to dive into the ocean’s depths and swim to a cave where Challenger Deep and The Hive can be found. Changing into diving gear left by the M.E.G. at Level 7’s entrance, the two lovers dive down into the murky depths. They clear the Twilight and Midnight Zones with ease, noting the massive skeletons of impossible marine life. It is when they enter the Abyss that they are attacked by the Thing On Level 7, an infamous entity haunting the depths. Cindy nearly dies, but she and Maria are saved by a M.E.G. submarine that drives the Thing away with a volley of torpedoes. After getting to safety on the sub, Maria tearfully tells Cindy that she can’t live without her should she die.

Wanderer’s final act unfolds at Challenger Deep. There they tour the facility, massive greenhouses, and containment cells. They learn that the Hive, a network of bio-organic caves that pulse with electricity, is a nexus point where the entrances of countless Levels can be found. It also seems to spawn the countless entities that inhabit the Backrooms. They also confront Dr. Malkinson about the Beast’s insinuations and warnings but he brushes them off. After testing for a bit, Maria and Cindy break into Dr. Malkinson’s lab to search for clues. They find that Malkinson has indeed visited Level 5 many times and a great deal of research about the Partygoers, who he believes serves as the Backroom’s antibodies of sorts. Before more could be done, alarms sound as explosions rock Challenger Deep. The base is revealed to be under attack by a large force of Backrooms entities primarily led by the Partygoers, an unprecedented event. Worse, sabotage causes the containment facilities to fail, releasing countless dangerous entities into the Backrooms. Worse, the electrical pulses quicken in intensity, causing serious electrical disturbances to Challenger Deep. Chaos erupts, but Maria fights back with the Vorpal Sword, slaying many of the entities. After a ferocious battle that ends with Maria slaying a Wrangler, a massive snake-like creature, the chaos is quelled and order is restored, but Dr. Malkinson is missing. And investigation reveals Cindy’s worst fears are realized, Dr. Arnoldson was responsible for the sabotage and the near destruction of Challenger Deep. Worse it’s revealed he long has had a way to return to the Frontrooms(The trilogy’s term for the real world) and deliberately deceived the M.E.G. and Maria and Cindy. Why is as yet unknown, but thing is clear. Dr. Malkinson can no longer be trusted by the M.E.G and he clearly has his own agenda, an agenda that could spell doom to both the Backrooms and the real world.

The Epilogue reveals that Maria and Cindy is in hot pursuit of Dr. Malkinson, who they believe is retreating to his hidden lab on Level 11. It is also revealed that Detective Reynolds survived his encounter with the Neighborhood Watch is now in a car taken from Level 9 and driving through Level 11’s streets, searching for Dr. Malkinson and Cindy. And in the final scene of the film, Dr. Malkinson is seen walking into a grand ballroom in an unknown location, filled with Partygoers, both the humanoid types and the yellow Gumby-like balloon carriers. Ignoring them, Malkinson strides towards a figure seated on throne, with a great crown on its head. The entity asks if it’s time and Malkinson, abandoning all subtlety, declares in an excessively hammy manner “It’s time to Party!!!”.

Production and Development

Jack Nicholson as Dr. Malkinson in the M.E.G.'s primary research facility, showcasing the character's descent into obsession

The film's production focused heavily on expanding the visual language established in NoCliped while introducing new environments and horror elements. Director Ari Aster worked closely with production designer Nathan Crowley to create distinct aesthetics for each new level, particularly the art deco horror of The Terror Hotel and the bio-organic architecture of The Hive.

Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Dr. Malkinson garnered significant attention, with the actor later revealing he approached the character as "The Joker's brain in Eintstein's body.", a reference to his role as the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman(1989). This duality manifested in Malkinson's brilliant but increasingly unstable theories about the nature of the Backrooms, particularly his controversial research into the properties of Almond Water and its effects on human consciousness. In addition, he interacts with Cindy in an increasingly disturbing manner, toying with her, and a subtle sadistic manner. Then, when he is exposed and meets with the Partygoers at the story’s conclusion, he presents himself in an excessively hammy manner, with one critic likening it to a mix of ‘Emperor Palpatine meets the Joker’.

Locations and Mythology

The film significantly expands the Backrooms universe by introducing several new levels and concepts. Level 5: The Terror Hotel serves as a major setting, depicted as an endless 1920s grand hotel where reality shifts between floors and time periods. The Hive, a biological anomaly hidden within Level 7 of the Backrooms, introduces the concept of organic architecture and suggests a natural origin for some of the dimension's stranger properties. In addition, others levels of the Backrooms are glimpsed, such as Levels 2, 3, 4, 6, and 11 at the ending. There is also mention by Cindy of a Level 178.1, hinting at the infinite size of the Backrooms.

A significant portion of the film’s finale takes place in the Challenger Deep Research Facility, a secret M.E.G. installation hidden within an undersea cave system. This location serves as both a sanctuary and a prison, housing both survivors and captured entities for study. The facility's isolation and pressure-sealed environment create a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the trapped feeling of the Backrooms themselves.

Entities and Threats

Wanderer introduces a reimagined version of the Partygoers, departing significantly from their original Wikidot depiction. The film presents them as unnaturally tall, elegantly dressed humanoids whose perfect smiles and fluid movements create a deeply unsettling uncanny valley effect. These primary Partygoers are served by more traditional yellow, balloon-carrying entities, suggesting a complex hierarchy within their society.

The film also explores the relationship between various entities and the structure of the Backrooms itself, through Dr. Malkinson's research. His theories suggest that entities like the Smilers and Hounds are manifestations of the space's attempt to maintain equilibrium, similar to antibodies in an immune system.

Themes and Analysis

The film explores themes of obsession, scientific responsibility, and the price of knowledge. Dr. Malkinson's character arc serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pursuing understanding at any cost, while Detective Reynolds' investigation highlights the human cost of the Backrooms' existence in terms of separated families and lost lives.

The romantic relationship between Maria and Cindy develops against this backdrop, providing an emotional core that contrasts with the clinical nature of the M.E.G.'s research and the cosmic horror of the Backrooms itself. Their connection becomes both a source of strength and vulnerability as they face increasingly dangerous situations.

Reception and Impact

Wanderer received widespread critical acclaim for its expansion of the Backrooms mythology and its sophisticated approach to psychological horror. While some critics found the pacing slower than its predecessor, many praised the film's deeper exploration of the Backrooms' nature and the complex motivations of its characters.

The film's production design and visual effects received particular praise, especially for the creation of The Terror Hotel, Level 9, Level 7’s endless ocean, and The Hive. These locations have since become iconic within the Backrooms community and have influenced numerous fan works and interpretations.

See Also

• The Backrooms Trilogy (2022-2027)
• NoCliped (2022)
• City in the Rain (2027)
• The Terror Hotel
• Challenger Deep Research Facility

References

1. "Jack Nicholson on Becoming Dr. Malkinson" - Empire Magazine, 2024
2. "Building The Terror Hotel: Interview with Nathan Crowley" - American Cinematographer, 2024
3. "The Science Behind the Backrooms: Dr. Malkinson's Theories Explained" - Scientific American, 2024
4. "Wanderer: Creating a New Kind of Horror" - Fangoria, 2024