Backrooms (2026) Takes Viewers on a Terrifying and Introspective Journey in Liminal Horror

Title: Backrooms

First Non-Festival Release: May 7, 2026 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Kane Parsons

Writer: Will Soodik, Kane Parsons

Runtime: 110 Minutes

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

Starting as a viral internet meme, the lore of the so-called “Backrooms” has exploded in popularity thanks to the creativity of internet users. Characterized by endless hallways that eerily resemble a mundane office setting, the peculiarity emerges from its sprawling designs and aberrations. The shaping of this internet urban legend is democratized by millions of users adding their own input into what happens in this strange place. None have captured the intensity quite like 20-year-old Youtuber Kane Parsons, who crafted his own series of videos set in the Backrooms.

The rise of liminal horror, an aesthetic defined by the fear of negative space in familiar or nostalgic settings that are slightly off, has become one of the identifying characterstics of Gen Z’s relationship to horror. Abandoned malls, empty school hallways, out-of-place objects, broken down homes. Much can be surmised from why these images are so unsettling on a sociopolitical level, but it also works primally, which makes the horror of Backrooms so palpable.

Struggling to hold the pieces of his life together, knock-off furniture store owner Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) stumbles upon something beyond comprehension. Somehow, a hidden portal exists in the sub-basement of his store that transports him to a series of endless dull yellow hallways. In his latest session with his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve), Clark expounds about the curiosity only to be met with skepticism. Incensed, Clark storms out, determined to bring back proof of his discovery. When he never returns, Mary sets out to find him herself. She stumbles through the same veil where Clark disappeared, unaware of how her own history is intertwined with the mysterious place.

A stunning debut, Parsons delivers top-notch psychological dread amidst the backdrop of high-tuned liminal horror in Backrooms.

Taking a traditional approach to its unusual subject material, the psychological horror of Backrooms starts typical enough. An intense cold open sets the stage for the danger that awaits Clark and co in the endless maze of hallways. Using Clark’s desire for purpose and clearly deteriorating mental health as a catalyst for exploration, Backrooms unfurls as Clark unravels in the corridors. The decision to shift away from Clark to Mary lets both arcs come full circle with their intersecting stories. This allows Backrooms to construct a believable narrative for why the two are physically and mentally trapped.

Seduced by the allure of the unknown, and his chance to rewrite his own history, Clark’s exploration of the Backrooms is another example of his inability to healthily process his emotions and assess his circumstances. Hypnotized by the thrill of adventure and the opportunity to self-isolate, Clark’s journey takes him deeper into the recesses of the Backrooms while mentally retreating into his own mind. Here, he can be king. Able to manipulate the world around him to his benefit without any pushback from his nagging wife or lazy employees, Clark sabotages his chances of healing by digging in his heels. Without reflection or challenge, Clark wastes away until there is nothing left but the angry, relentless manifestation of his mental state.

The Backrooms reveal what Clark cannot, and will not, accept about himself.

Mary’s journey is more internal, reflecting her own pursuit of progress in others as a way to fill the void left by a neglectful childhood. Taking on the physical manifestations of her childhood home, and the trauma her mother unintentionally inflicted upon her, artifacts from Mary’s life help guide her through the maze. When her story finally intersects again with Clark’s, the realization sinks in that her practice is a self-serving affair, one where she gets to be the hero and protector she never had for herself. When Mary accepts that the only person she can truly save is herself, Backrooms uses her realization as the shift for her story to take over. Finally freeing herself from the shackles of her self-imposed responsibility to save the world, Mary’s daring escape from the Backrooms mirrors her own attempt to self-actualize.

Psychologically daunting, the horror of Backrooms is equally mind-bending and visceral. It’s easy to point to all of the winning horror elements of Backrooms. Forcing its characters to face off against the unknown horrors of the Backrooms while contending with their own trauma, the scares are pointed and personal. When following Clark, Backrooms leans into the ways reality bends while warping Clark’s mental state into something he cannot control. His ill-fated journey to find purpose and take control of his own life is strewn with both sharp, brutal scares and crushing revelations about his own inadequacies against the endless hallways of false reality. When shifting to Mary’s perspective, Backrooms takes a more literal approach. Twisting her own trauma, while dealing with Clark’s fragile mental state, Backrooms gets more claustrophobic while raising the stakes with some of the most bombastic scares of the film.

Despite all this, the true draw of Backrooms lies in its impeccable visuals and set design. The dull yellow wallpaper hums with the intensity only loneliness can conjure, almost hypnotizing the audience in a spell of liminal horror. A massive undertaking to create, for sure, the labyrinth exudes as much character as its explorers and prisoners. From its most cavernous to the parts that scream intimacy, each section feels exactly like the copy of a copy conceit that makes the space feel so off. Sunken grocery store carts, empty, artificial streets, and ominous Christmas trees capture the uncanny valley that makes the Backrooms themselves so disorienting.

Backrooms is a phantasmagorical triumph of indie horror, years in the making. Sure, A24 financed the film so it isn’t entirely independent, but the spirit lies in Parsons’ confident direction and the expansive lore of his titular muse. Incredible production design and cinematography allow its more familiar story of trauma to still feel fresh and engaging. It doesn’t hurt that Backrooms commands its unique brand of unsettling and relentless atmospheric horror with certainty. A film for the young ones, and adults with taste, there’s no mystery in the success of Backrooms.

Overall Score? 9/10