Backrooms (2026)

​“Backrooms” stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia.  Released on May 29, 2026, the film follows a therapist who explores a mysterious dimension in search of her missing patient.

The film features the directorial debut of Kane Parsons, known online as Kane Pixels on YouTube.  It is based on Parsons’ web series and inspired by the “Backrooms” creepypasta.  The horror genre has gotten off to a strong start this summer, and it’s not just because of how tolerable and scary they turn out.  It’s also due to the ongoing trend of YouTubers making their cinematic debuts, driven by their passion for the genre.  We didn’t expect it to have a larger impact in the industry than their online videos, but these digital celebrities proved us wrong with their craft and understanding of horror.  Just recently, we experienced Curry Barker’s terrifying tale of obsession caused by a hopeless romantic’s wish, and spoiler alert, it was fantastic.  It made me uncomfortable, but it was fantastic.  Now, we have another YouTuber making the leap from the computer screen to the big screen by introducing his popular web series to audiences beyond his subscribers.

The YouTuber I’m referring to was Kane Parsons, a visual effects artist and filmmaker who went viral for his semi-anthological web series about a mysterious dimension that exists beyond reality.  Inspired by the “Backrooms” creepypasta, the series, titled “Backrooms”, has been praised for its effective use of horror elements, the cryptic mystery surrounding its unknown realm, and visual effects.  What started as a passion project for Parsons to demonstrate his love of visual effects became a viral sensation that reinvigorated interest in the creepypasta trend and scared viewers’ pants off with the endless hallways and even the “creatures” residing in them.  This success led Hollywood to adapt the web series as a cinematic endeavor, with the condition that Parsons direct it, because no one knows this enigmatic world-building better than the one who created it.  But is this strangely eerie concept worthy of getting the big-screen treatment, or are we better off leaving this dimension alone forever?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Clark (Ejiofor), a failed architect who manages and lives at a rundown furniture store following his divorce.  One day, he stumbles upon a gateway to an uncanny dimension, where the maze-like hallways stretch on endlessly beyond the bounds of reality.  He reports his findings to his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline (Reinsve), only to be dismissed by her.  This led Clark and his employees to record their exploration of this otherworldly realm.  However, as they delve deeper into the dimension, Clark and the employees uncover a sinister presence lurking within the realm.  Upon learning about Clark’s disappearance, Mary embarks on a mission to travel inside the dimension and rescue him, unaware of the danger that lurks ahead.

I was pretty new to the whole “Backrooms” craze that has been circulating on the web for four years.  Mainly because I was busy watching plenty of videos that don’t scare the crud out of me during that time.  But that didn’t stop me from feeling intrigued by the film, and it’s not just because of the mysterious concept and my hit-or-miss appreciation for elevated horror.  It was also due to the big names involved as producers, like Shawn Levy, James Wan, and Osgood Perkins, but the most important factor to point out is Kane Parsons himself.  Although I haven’t watched his videos a lot, he’s another YouTuber who earns my respect for taking on the challenge of directing a feature film, let alone a horror movie for A24.  So far, we have had some pretty good YouTuber-to-filmmaker selections right out of the gate this year, like Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” and Curry Barker’s “Obsession”.  So, one has to wonder whether Parsons can continue that streak with a film adaptation of the web series that made him an online sensation.

Based on the one “Backrooms” video my cousin showed me the other day, I would describe the “Backrooms” movie as a vast, haunted-house experience.  There isn’t a lot to admire other than the maze-like halls and odd placements of certain objects, but it still leaves you anxious and uncomfortable about the dimension’s enigmatic origin and “residents”.  Its mysterious creatures can be terrifying, but the emptiness and psychological dread of its environments can be the most impactful, keeping you up all night.  Those who admire this type of horror or watched the “Backrooms” videos will certainly find the film just as unnerving as exploring an empty building in the middle of the night.  However, if you’re looking for a horror movie with numerous jump scares and traditional supernatural threats, you’re better off watching “Passenger” instead.  Personally, I find it to be exactly what I thought it would be from the web series, but with an actual narrative.  It’s mysterious, bleakly surreal, and subtly eerie.  A suitable combination that’ll impress or bore casual moviegoers, yet offers plenty to hold in high regard for its craft and visual horror.

“Backrooms” isn’t the type of horror movie that relies on traditional jump scares throughout its runtime.  There are a couple of them, but not to the point of being frustrating.  Instead, Parsons relies solely on liminal environments and their disturbing nature, both psychological and visual, to make audiences feel uneasy about this odd dimension, similar to what he did in his web series.  Of course, it’s not just the distorted, yellowish maze that was the least of our concerns, but also the gradual anxiety of someone or “something” that may be following us.  It’s this psychological fear of the unknown that makes characters question whether they’re actually safe, like a bad dream they're trying to wake up from.  Much as he did with the source material, Kane Parsons plays both of his strengths very well, proving that an eerily unique experience like “Backrooms” can translate well to the big screen.  Even the found-footage sequences were genuinely tense, faithfully replicating the 90s camera style from the web series with precision.  I might even say that they were the best parts of the movie, mainly because they actually feel like a “Backrooms” episode, but in cinema form.  As for the production design for the Backrooms dimension, it’s as distorted, unusual, and enigmatic as I’d expect from a fictional creepypasta-like place.  

But what about the scenes outside the found-footage sequences, you ask?  Well, it’s very clear that Parsons has been taking inspiration from other horror directors regarding his vision.  One obvious factor is, again, the reliance on psychological and environmental terror over cheap jump scares.  Given its concept, this could’ve been an easy opportunity to include as many jump scares as possible, but no, sir.  Parsons only placed them in scenes that made the most sense, and, admittedly, a couple got me good.  Were they as frightening as the scares in “Obsession”?  Not really, but at least it’s better than getting jump-scared by a random squirrel or something.  When it comes to craftsmanship, this is undoubtedly another well-made horror film that blends its panning and still-frame shots from Jeremy Cox’s cinematography with haunting imagery and dimly lit lighting effects.  Parsons gets lots of credit for staying true to the vision that made him and his web series viral sensations, but he has also become another filmmaker who blends craft with unnerving horror, even if it’s far from perfect.

Yes, I do mean that this movie isn’t perfect because, as I said, it’s the type of movie that’ll either impress or bore casual viewers out of their minds.  This is evident in the story, or in this case, Will Soodik’s screenplay.  This is more of an extended episode of the “Backrooms” series in film format, with the usual structure of its “found footage” episodes included.  Within this structure, the movie tends to fit in a traditional narrative involving Clark’s psychological descent and Mary’s rescue mission amid her childhood trauma.  While it avoids some familiar narrative trappings in modern horror, its approach to its themes and cryptic elements didn’t achieve the intended impact, given the discomforting nature of the surroundings.  It’s still a consistently compelling outlook of a person’s psychological condition, whether from trauma or something even more dangerous.  However, as a blend of traditional and elevated horror, “Backrooms” falls a bit short of being another perfectly terrifying and challenging masterpiece, with some scares being hit-or-miss.  It’s better to think of “Backrooms” as a cinematic haunted-house experience rather than a story-driven scare-fest, which may or may not help adjust your expectations.  Although I thought it would work better with just the same structure used for the series’s “found footage” episodes, what they brought to the table alongside the “found footage” scenes was good enough to endure. 

Regarding its cast, the only highlights for me were its leads: Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.  Ejiofor’s previous projects have proven he’s another worthy actor to keep an eye on, mainly regarding his talents and ability to convey certain characters’ behaviors.  “Backrooms” has the actor portraying Clark as a store owner who lost everything, such as his architectural career and his wife, leading to his psychological downfall.  The result is yet another superb performance that showcases Ejiofor’s ability to convey a character’s behavioral traits.  It’s subtle, but it also creates a sense of unease in Clark’s behavior, making him more of a tragic protagonist than a hero.  Renate Reinsve also did a great job with her performance as a therapist attempting to rescue her patient, capturing Mary’s subtle anxiety to a tee.  Before that, I only saw Reinsve in “Sentimental Value”, where she was one of the movie’s best parts despite its lengthy runtime.  So it was nice to see her get more acting opportunities after that award-nominated performance.  Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell were also solid as Clark’s employees, although they don’t make much of an impact compared to the movie’s leads, other than following Clark into the dimension.

Overall, “Backrooms” is an eerily compelling and visually moody expansion of the popular web series that emphasizes its discomforting oddity through visual horror and dreamlike unsettlement.  This is another solid example of genre filmmaking that makes a rising star out of its YouTuber-turned-filmmaker, as Kane Parsons faithfully adapts his liminal horror phenomenon with creative flair and surreally atmospheric dread.  However, its blend of traditional genre narrative and elevated horror was pretty scarce in generating as much impact as its premise, and most of its scares aren’t as effective as others.  Regardless, it works best as an engaging, well-crafted haunted house experience that underscores a promising future for Parsons as a filmmaker beyond his YouTube videos.  More importantly, it further proves that the fresh faces of horror storytelling are still out there, even from our computer screens.  As I mentioned earlier, fans of the “Backrooms” series will certainly want to jump back into this strange and creepily unique dimension.  As for those who prefer getting jump-scared every five minutes, they might want to remain in the real world.

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