A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, leading to an endless network of interconnected rooms where time bends and the only thing scarier than getting lost is the sense that something is lying in wait.
Where to Watch Backrooms
- Scream☆QueenApril 3, 2026Save me a seat at the theaters!!
- Hipster ZOMBIEJune 1, 2026What began as an anonymous creepypasta on 4chan has now evolved into a full blown feature film with A24’s unsettling adaptation of The Backrooms. Directed by series creator Kane Parsons, the film expands his viral web mythology into a suffocating psychological horror experience that feels less like a traditional movie and more like a waking fever dream you can’t escape. For the uninitiated, The Backrooms is essentially that recurring nightmare where the hallway keeps stretching farther away no matter how fast you walk, blended with the sterile emptiness of abandoned office spaces humming under fluorescent lights. Random junk litters endless yellow corridors, reality folds in on itself, and there’s seemingly no exit. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers a quietly devastating performance as Clark, a man already trapped in the soul-crushing monotony of his own life before stumbling through a multidimensional doorway into the ominous labyrinth known as the Backrooms. Saying much more would spoil the film’s carefully layered mysteries. Renate Reinsve is equally compelling as Mary, Clark’s therapist, whose own fractured emotional state may be more connected to the Backrooms than the film initially lets on. Rather than relying on cheap jump scares, Parsons leans heavily into atmosphere, existential dread, and the terror of isolation. The result is hypnotic, unnerving, and deeply ambiguous. Its open-ended finale is certain to spark endless debate, especially among longtime fans of the mythos. Some horror audiences may find its slow-burn psychological approach frustrating, particularly those expecting a more conventional scare fest. But for viewers willing to surrender to its strange rhythms and oppressive mood, The Backrooms is one of the most haunting and uniquely unsettling horror films A24 has released in a while.
- Happyclapp21h agoCan't wait for the second movie. I've loved how these horror movies lately like Five Nights at Freddy's use as little CGI as possible and it really brings the movie to life.
- Scott NicholasJuly 14, 2026Fucking fantastic. Not a cliche in sight.
- Ravi Oliveira1d agoSynopsis: A furniture salesman discovers a door in the basement of his store that leads to a kind of maze. As he explores the new places that appear, he may be stumbling into another reality. Review: “Backrooms” takes one of the most interesting concepts to emerge from the internet in recent years and brings the world of the famous creepypasta and Kane Parsons’ web series to the big screen, with Parsons also directing the film. With names like James Wan and Shawn Levy involved in the production, expectations are high, especially given the potential to turn a relatively simple idea into a much bigger horror experience. The film understands what made the Backrooms so unsettling, the feeling of being trapped in a familiar place that somehow feels completely disconnected from reality, where every hallway looks the same and finding a way out seems increasingly impossible. The concept is compelling because it taps into a hard-to-explain fear, built less around what appears in front of the characters and more around the uncertainty of where they actually are. The film’s biggest strength is its atmosphere, carefully shaped through its visual style. Parsons combines conventional camera work with found footage sequences, fisheye lenses, and wide shots that emphasize the repetitive layout of the spaces. This approach is more than just an aesthetic choice. It changes how we see these environments and brings us closer to the characters’ confusion. The yellow hallways, blank walls, and artificial lighting create a constant sense of unease, as if the place was designed to look ordinary but somehow lost all connection to the real world. Parsons understands that the fear of the Backrooms comes from this lack of familiar reference points, rather than from constantly showing us something threatening. The production design also deserves praise, especially the construction of a real set to recreate part of the maze. The physical scale of the environments makes them feel as though they extend beyond the frame, keeping everything from looking like a setting created entirely through computer effects. The repetitive hallways, yellow tones, and hum of the fluorescent lights work together to create a claustrophobic atmosphere, even in spaces that seem relatively open. Sound design plays a major role too, turning everyday noises and moments of silence into sources of tension. Instead of relying on sudden jump scares, the film builds paranoia and anticipation, letting the architecture itself create the feeling that something is wrong. This approach stays true to the original concept and shows how simplicity can be far more disturbing than an overload of visual effects. The performances give this abstract setting a more human side. Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing Clark, delivers a performance filled with unease and psychological exhaustion, giving the character an emotional presence that keeps the story from becoming nothing more than an exploration of strange hallways. His performance conveys the difficulty of understanding a situation that seems to defy any rational explanation. Renate Reinsve also gives a restrained performance that suits the uncertainty hanging over the story. This approach fits the film’s tone, as exaggerated reactions could undermine the atmosphere Parsons creates. Still, the character development does not always match the strength of the setting, and some personal struggles receive less attention than they need to make the characters’ conflicts as engaging as the central mystery. “Backrooms” begins to lose some of its momentum in the second half. The original concept offers plenty of possibilities, but turning an idea built around repetition, emptiness, and a lack of explanations into a feature-length story requires a sense of progression that the film does not always manage to maintain. The screenplay starts to lose focus, and the tension built through the environments is no longer enough to support every narrative choice. The lack of definitive answers could fit the concept, since explaining every detail would only make the mystery less unsettling. However, there is a difference between preserving ambiguity and leaving the story without a satisfying sense of development. The third act feels abrupt, as though the film stops before giving its events enough weight. The open ending may leave room for interpretation, but it also highlights how even a well-crafted atmosphere cannot make up for every weakness in the screenplay. “Backrooms” shows a strong understanding of the cinematic potential of its source material. Kane Parsons creates a convincing visual world, explores the unease of liminal spaces with creativity, and uses sound, cinematography, and production design more effectively than conventional jump scares. The involvement of experienced filmmakers adds to the scale of the production, but it is Parsons’ vision that gives the film its identity. The problem lies in turning this premise into a story that remains engaging all the way through. When it focuses on atmosphere and the feeling of being lost, the film is at its best. When it needs to develop the mystery and bring it to a conclusion, it loses some of its precision. Even so, there is plenty to appreciate in the way it brings one of internet horror’s most recognizable concepts to the big screen, even if the final result falls short of its full potential.
- joshuacottle301d agoI wasn’t expecting an avengers endgame level movie and this wasn’t bad at all but it could’ve been WAY better.
- Clarence Boddicker3d agoI have to admit, I didn't get any of it, it was just weird, but in a unique and fresh way. Good stuff!
- ShaydeknightJuly 26, 2026Backrooms arrives dressed in beautiful scenery and immaculately constructed sets, and yes, the film is visually fantastic. Its depiction of a pocket universe built from forgotten memory echoes is rendered with real craft, and the underlying concept is disturbing in the best sense: a labyrinth with no author and no exit, only the accumulated residue of things people would rather forget. Chiwetel Ejiofor does a wonderful job with his character, though his transformation from a failed, drink-sodden furniture-store owner into whatever he becomes by the film's end happens too quickly and too neatly for my taste. Renate Reinsve also acquits herself well, but her character's arc ultimately felt like scaffolding for a story that didn't need telling, one that never quite pays off the time invested in it. I think the film would have been stronger had it leaned further towards the Blair Witch approach: less explanation, more dread accumulated through absence and implication. Instead, it goes nowhere, much like all the rooms it depicts. What I couldn't get past was the sheer stupidity of the characters when confronted with something plainly impossible. Nobody calls the authorities, nobody seeks out anyone with more knowledge or expertise. Instead, it's a headlong cavalcade into the impossible, followed swiftly by madness, with no thought given to the matter and no reflection offered afterwards. I didn't find the film frightening, apart from the one genuinely unsettling idea at its core: getting lost amid uncharted, endless space and dying slowly of starvation or thirst. That notion has teeth. Unfortunately, the film surrounding it does not. Mostly, I found it a bit boring. There's nothing especially scary here, no real plot to speak of, and no theme worth dissecting. What you get instead is a couple of hours of atmosphere, music, sound design, and characters whose principal function is to wander about and showcase the spaces. The whole enterprise feels like an attempt to capitalize on the Gen Z fixation with creepypasta. There's a valiant effort here to translate what was originally a meme and a game experience into a feature film, but the medium switch simply doesn't work. Backrooms offers plenty of atmosphere but little else.
- BLOCKBUSTERRRR3d agoDidn't even recognize Katharine Isabelle
- September 7, 2026⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 – Real Psychological Horror Backrooms is the kind of horror movie that demands your full attention. You can’t watch half the movie while scrolling through your phone and then judge it fairly. If you’re going to watch a film, watch the screen, follow the atmosphere, listen to the sounds, and pay attention to the details. This isn’t just about cheap jump scares. It builds tension, isolation, uncertainty, psychological fear, and that constant feeling that something is wrong. That atmosphere is exactly what makes it so disturbing. Some people may criticize it because they expect traditional horror, but this movie tries something different. For me, it is one of the best and most unsettling horror experiences I’ve seen in a while. 😱 Scary & Unsettling 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎬 Watch With Full Attention 🔥 Highly Recommended 🚫 No Spoilers Before leaving a negative opinion, actually watch the movie from beginning to end—with your phone down. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 – Terror psicológico de verdad Backrooms es de esas películas de terror que exigen toda tu atención. No puedes ver media película mientras estás mirando el teléfono y después juzgarla como si realmente la hubieras visto. Si vas a ver una película, mira la pantalla, sigue la atmósfera, escucha los sonidos y presta atención a los detalles. Aquí no se trata solamente de sustos fáciles. La película construye tensión, aislamiento, incertidumbre, miedo psicológico y esa sensación constante de que algo no está bien. Precisamente esa atmósfera es lo que la hace tan inquietante. Hay personas que pueden criticarla porque esperan el terror tradicional, pero esta película intenta hacer algo diferente. Para mí, es una de las mejores y más inquietantes experiencias de terror que he visto últimamente. 😱 Terror e inquietud 🧠 Terror psicológico 🎬 Hay que verla con atención 🔥 Muy recomendada 🚫 Sin spoilers Antes de dejar una opinión negativa, ve realmente la película de principio a fin… y deja el teléfono a un lado.
🧠 Backrooms – This Is What Psychological Horror Should Feel Like
- July 27, 2026I did not understand this movie at all. It progressed quicker than you would think. Days passed and you didn't realize it. It was such a hard movie to follow, since you could not understand the concept at all. Then it was over and I was left going... WTF just happened???
This movie was not good at all
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Backrooms was released on May 27, 2026.
Backrooms was directed by Kane Parsons.
Backrooms has a runtime of 1h 50m.
Backrooms was produced by Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, James Wan, Michael Clear, Roberto Patino, Kori Adelson, Chris Ferguson, Osgood Perkins, Jenno Topping, Peter Chernin.
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, leading to an endless network of interconnected rooms where time bends and the only thing scarier than getting lost is the sense that something is lying in wait.
The key characters in Backrooms are Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mary (Renate Reinsve), Bobby (Finn Bennett).
Backrooms is rated R.
Backrooms is a Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction film.
Backrooms has an audience rating of 7.4 out of 10.
Backrooms had a budget of $10M.
Backrooms has made $400.6M at the box office.