Most horror films open a door to terror. Backrooms open thousands of identical doors and dares you to find your way out. Inspired by one of the internet’s most unsettling urban legends, this cinematic labyrinth delivers an experience that is equal parts fascinating, frightening, and wonderfully disorientating.
Plot
The owner of a furniture store finds a secret doorway that leads him to an endless stretch of rooms. When he disappears, his therapist ventures into the unknown to rescue him.
Movie Review
Few internet horror concepts have captured the imagination quite like The Backrooms. What started as a simple image and an unsettling online creepypasta has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, making the leap from YouTube sensation to major theatrical release. Directed by young filmmaker Kane Parsons, Backrooms arrives with enormous expectations, and while it doesn’t escape every pitfall, it succeeds in delivering one of the most unique horror experiences of the year.
At its core, Backrooms is not interested in cheap jump scares or traditional monster-movie thrills. Instead, it thrives on atmosphere, dread, and a deeply uncomfortable feeling that something is fundamentally wrong with reality. The film follows Clark, played brilliantly by Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose discovery of a mysterious passageway leads him into an endless maze of fluorescent-lit corridors, empty rooms, and impossible architecture. As the mystery deepens, the film transforms into a psychological descent that explores isolation, obsession, and the fear of losing one’s grip on reality.
What makes Backrooms so effective is its visual design. The endless yellow hallways, humming lights, and sterile environments create a nightmare that feels strangely familiar. The production team has crafted spaces that are simultaneously mundane and terrifying, proving that horror doesn’t always need darkness to be effective. In many ways, the architecture itself becomes the monster.
Parsons demonstrates remarkable confidence for a first-time feature director. His camera work and sense of spatial disorientation are exceptional, creating sequences that genuinely leave audiences feeling trapped alongside the characters. The sound design deserves equal praise, using subtle ambient noise and unsettling silence to maintain tension throughout.
The performances are equally strong. Ejiofor anchors the film with a believable emotional core, while Renate Reinsve provides a grounded counterbalance as Dr. Mary Kline. Their performances prevent the film from becoming merely an exercise in visual experimentation.
That said, Backrooms is not flawless. The film’s pacing occasionally drifts, particularly in the middle act, and some viewers may find the deliberately ambiguous storytelling frustrating. The final act, while ambitious, doesn’t fully capitalize on the fascinating mysteries established earlier in the film. Several narrative threads remain vague, which will delight some audiences while alienating others. Community reactions have similarly praised the atmosphere and visuals while expressing mixed feelings about the story’s resolution.
Ultimately, Backrooms succeeds because it understands what made the original concept so compelling. Rather than overexplaining its mythology, it embraces uncertainty and existential dread. It feels less like watching a conventional horror movie and more like experiencing a recurring nightmare that lingers long after the credits roll.
For horror fans seeking something different, Backrooms is absolutely worth getting lost in. It may not be perfect, but it is bold, visually stunning, and refreshingly original. More importantly, it signals the arrival of an exciting new filmmaking voice in Kane Parsons.
Backrooms transforms an internet legend into a haunting cinematic experience that proves horror can still find new ways to unsettle us. While its pacing and ambiguity occasionally hold it back from greatness, its atmosphere, visuals, and sense of creeping dread make it one of the most memorable horror films of 2026.
When the credits finally rolled, I felt like I had escaped the Backrooms myself—slightly confused, deeply unsettled, and oddly eager to go back in. While it occasionally loses its way down a few narrative hallways, the film never loses sight of what makes the concept so compelling. Backrooms may not be a perfect maze, but it’s a journey well worth getting lost in – just don’t expect me to draw you a map. I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars. Make sure to catch it at a movie theatre near you.
