Title: The Backrooms
Director: Kane Parsons
Screenplay by Will Soodik
Based on YouTube series The Backrooms
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Runtime: 1h 45m
Genre: Horror
plot details
Backrooms follows a man who discovers a hidden doorway leading to an endless, unsettling maze of impossible rooms beneath his furniture store. As he becomes obsessed with exploring the mysterious space, others are drawn in as well, uncovering strange phenomena and dangers that challenge their understanding of reality.
my thoughts
If this movie did one thing for me, it made me realize that maybe I don’t like horror. Or maybe, I just don’t enjoy jump scares. I know, I know! There weren’t a ton and I should’ve anticipated the first one but that left me terrified throughout the movie. They do their job, but it’s still a hard no. So going into The Backrooms (2026) and watching the first ten minutes, I was bracing for the worst kind of horror: loud-noised and algorithmic.
Instead, I was surprised that I ended up actually kind of liking it? My post-movie, gut rating was a strong 4 our of 5 because of the suspense and psychological aspect of the liminal space nightmare.
It does great at capturing the unsettling, endless maze of yellow walls, humming fluorescent lights, and stale air that made the internet lore viral in the first place. The vast majority of the runtime, the horror doesn’t stem from things leaping out of the shadows. It comes from the crushing isolation, disorientation, and the psychological realization that the environment is working against the characters’ sanity. The slow burn, atmospheric dread is the sweet spot for tension. It manages to keep the viewer intrigued and unsettled without activating a persons fight or flight response every five minutes.
Instead, I was incredibly pleasantly surprised. I ended up scoring it a strong 4 out of 5 stars because it leaned so heavily into pure suspense and the psychological aspect of the liminal space nightmare.
final thoughts
If you’re someone who loves heavy suspense, mind-bending psychology, and the eerie aesthetic of liminal spaced, The Backrooms is an absolute must-watch! It’s a fantastic piece of modern suspense that shows that horror can be smart. To check out the full cast and production details before you head to the theatre, make sure to browse the movie’s official IMDb page or read Dazed article on the newest director’s process.
let’s chat!
What is your favorite liminal space concept or internet lore that you think deserves a big-screen adaptation?
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