BACKROOMS (2026)

Genre: Sci-fi/Horror
Director: Kane Parsons
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 June 2026

Synopsis: A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.

Movie Review:

Ashamed. That is perhaps the first emotion this reviewer felt after watching Backrooms. Not because the movie is terrifying — although it certainly has its moments — but because at the age of 20, Kane Parsons has already achieved something many directors spend entire careers chasing: becoming the youngest filmmaker to helm a number-one movie at the United States box office. Meanwhile, some of us are merely trying to decide what to have for lunch.

When Backrooms exploded in theatres following its release in May, few could have predicted the scale of the phenomenon. Fuelled by social media hype, enthusiastic word of mouth and curiosity surrounding its unusual premise, the film went on to become A24's highest-grossing movie to date, cementing itself as one of the most remarkable horror success stories of recent years. Not bad for a project based on Parsons' wildly popular YouTube web series and inspired by the bizarre internet urban legend known as the "Backrooms" creepypasta.

The premise itself is deceptively simple. A series of strange disappearances and unexplained phenomena lead several individuals into a seemingly endless maze of empty rooms, fluorescent-lit corridors and impossible spaces that defy logic and reality. As they descend deeper into this liminal nightmare, they begin to question not only their surroundings, but also their sanity.

That description, however, barely captures the experience of watching the film. The brilliance of Backrooms lies in its minimalist concept. On paper, endless yellow walls and nonsensical architecture sound absurd. Yet somehow, the sheer weirdness of it all worms its way into the audience's subconscious. There is something profoundly disturbing about spaces that feel familiar and alien at the same time. The movie weaponises that unease masterfully.

Production design deserves enormous praise. Parsons and his team are given the opportunity to unleash their imaginations, and they take full advantage. Every new room and corridor feels like entering another dimension governed by dream logic. Some areas are strangely beautiful, others grotesque and oppressive. The filmmakers constantly surprise viewers with bizarre environments that feel simultaneously random and meticulously crafted.

Then there are the creatures. The designs of some of these creatures are nightmare fuel, but with just enough oddness to provoke nervous laughter. Their appearances are fleeting, their movements unnatural, and their distorted forms linger in the mind long after they vanish from the screen. It is difficult to decide whether to scream or chuckle uneasily.

Fortunately for horror fans, the movie also delivers on scares. Several jump scares are genuinely effective, while the suspense sequences sustain tension without relying solely on loud noises.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve commit fully to the madness unfolding around them. Their performances anchor the film emotionally, making viewers genuinely concerned as their characters inch closer and closer to psychological collapse.

As the movie approaches its conclusion and begins revealing what it may actually be about, Backrooms enters full mind-bending territory. Questions multiply faster than answers, and audiences will likely emerge from the cinema debating interpretations rather than discussing plot points. Yet perhaps that ambiguity is precisely the point.

Combined with its ingenious marketing, inventive execution and the way internet culture has embraced it with open arms, Backrooms feels like more than just a successful horror film. It is a fascinating case study of how a new generation consumes, shares and celebrates fear. And at the centre of it all is a filmmaker who is barely old enough to make the rest of us feel pleasantly inadequate.

Movie Rating:

(Bizarre, unsettling and brilliantly designed, Backrooms is a horror phenomenon that perfectly captures the fears of the internet generation)

Review by John Li