Kane Parsons’ feature-length directorial debut, Backrooms, is a terrifying experience that should not be approached lightly, as I found out when I went to see it in theaters. Keep reading to find out more.
I went into this film not being all that familiar with the lore of The Backrooms, the YouTube web series that inspired this film. I did, however, know of the basic concept. For those unfamiliar, the Backrooms are described as this liminal space of unending office space rooms, where reality becomes increasingly twisted the further in you go.
Backrooms
Directed by: Kane Parsons
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Backrooms, which adapts a portion of this lore for the silver screen, takes place in 1990 and sees Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discover an entrance to a mysterious world of convoluted rooms filled with seemingly random bits of detritus. When Clark’s therapist (Renate Reinsve) expresses skepticism over what he’s found, Clark decides to explore deeper to obtain definitive “proof.” The trouble is, Clark isn’t the only thing roaming this strange environment.
I can’t state strongly enough just how terrifying Backrooms is. Even before Clark encounters anything in the Backrooms space, there’s a sense of unease and wrongness that just permeates the scene. From the moment Clark discovers the space, you find yourself wanting to hold your breath, because you know it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.
And does it ever!
Backrooms spends a lot of its time skirting the line between unease and outright horror, but once it crosses that line, it doesn’t hold back. There’s an almost unbearable sense of panic when the camera is racing from room to room and all the time you can hear the “thump-thump-thump” of whatever is in pursuit.
That’s the most terrifying part of the entire story, in my opinion. To be sure, what inhabits the Backrooms is terrifying and unnerving to behold, but the true scare comes when you can’t see what’s out there. The moments when the camera plays coy about revealing just what is there in the shadows…it leads one’s imagination to run wild.
The story does stumble slightly whenever it switches to Renate Reinsve’s character Mary. There is a lot going on with Mary and a lot of that is implied rather than directly spelled out. I feel like we could’ve used a little more exposition with Mary, rather than having most of her backstory left to speculation. It’s honestly hard to say if the story centers on Clark or Mary or if it’s meant to be a little bit of both.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, I have to say, does a great job as Clark, a man who has already gone through a lot before discovering the hidden reality that is the Backrooms. He (along with Mary) are both good proxies for how most would likely react upon discovering such a space. The difference comes in how Clark and Mary ultimately decide on what to do with what they’ve learned about this space.
Finally, I have to mention how the film discusses the idea of memories. It gives the concept of the Backrooms an additional layer of depth, especially as it hints that there is a deeper reason why these spaces exist at all. It really feels like a door is being left open (no pun intended) for the story to continue and I for one would like to see what more Kane Parsons has to say in this world.
In conclusion, Backrooms is undoubtedly one of the best horror films to come out so far this year, and it is a great debut for Kane Parsons. If you’re even somewhat curious about this movie, I encourage you to see it on the biggest screen possible, it’ll be worth the time.
