The Backrooms (2026) Review

The Backrooms (2026) Review

YouTubers are absolutely killing it with horror films, a couple weeks back we got Obsession and this weekend we’re getting The Backrooms. I went into this film very blind, not really seeing a trailer and not knowing any of the lore tied to The Backrooms. But what did I think of the film? Let’s talk about it!

The Good

Simply put, The Backrooms is one of the best examples in recent memory of doing a great atmospheric film. I think there’s going to be a lot of debate as to whether this is a horror film or if it’s a thriller. Either way you want to look at it, The Backrooms does a fantastic job of making you feel unease and discomfort through the production design. I can’t really think of a horror film that I’ve seen that does this atmospheric horror like this. Where the film doesn’t have jump scares or a whole lot of creepy images, so all of the horror and thrills come from the environment and the images of the film. Where the film doesn’t really need to say or show much for you to feel the dread and the creepiness of it. It’s so unusual and strange to see this back area that’s completely empty with no humans there. You feel this claustrophobic nature as our characters travel into these tight spaces and you know that at any moment something could go horribly wrong. With the characters, you’re even counting the steps they took and remembering which direction they went so you can help the characters get back to the entrance. It’s this very unique and different horror film that I haven’t really experienced anything like before because of how it builds tension and dread throughout the film. 

A big part of why the film’s creepiness and atmosphere works is because of the director, Kane Parsons. Upon doing research, I learned that Parsons didn’t create The Backrooms but he helped popularize it through a short film released in January 2022. I think Parsons’ large involvement with this lore and mythology is exactly why this movie works. He knows how to make films based on The Backrooms work and how to use the cameras to appropriately build the creepiness and tension of the film. What he does so well and with the help of the cinematography is use a lot of wide angle shots and so when our characters are walking through the Backrooms you see everything which in most of the shots, isn’t a lot. But because it uses wide angle shots it means that the audience is constantly looking around the screen to see if there’s some clue or some weird creature that’s going to pop out. When you see this one character walking around in this big empty environment, it adds to that claustrophobic nature that I talked about earlier. As soon as the movie I started I knew the film was going to work because I had this sense of dread. The opening sequence of this film is probably going to be one of the best opening scenes/sequences of the year. Right out of the gate, it uses a found footage camera angle that immediately sets the stage of what this film is going to be. All of it goes back to Parsons as a director who has this great eye for using the most out of every single shot. 

From there, one of the things that surprised me about the film was how it was able to tie and connect all of these themes and ideas into the lore of the Backrooms. I’m going to try and talk about this and be as vague as possible. We learn a bit about both of our lead characters’ backstory and what they went through. There’s the trauma that comes with that. The film is able to use Backrooms and the mythology established as a metaphor for childhood trauma. This element surprised me because I wasn’t expecting this to be a big thematically rich film that uses metaphors to communicate to the audience the underlying messaging of the film. Once again, without spoiling anything the ending of the film left me in shock and scratching my head as to what happened. When I got back to my car, I started researching what the ending was supposed to mean. And through doing that, I understood more of what the film was about and why the ending of the film is so great because it ties into the themes and the metaphors, previously established. 

One of the aspects of the film that I think is going to leave a lot of people frustrated is the ending and the final answers. As I was watching the film, I was really digging this film but always had in the back of my head “the final answers here could really make or break this film”. Luckily, I liked the final answers given and where the film ends. I’ve seen some people compare the film to M. Night Shyamalan’s thrillers. Where it’s a high concept film that has a big twist that makes you reevaluate everything that came before. I think that’s a fair comparison that makes sense and if this was a M. Night Shyamalan film, this would be one of the stronger Shyamalan films. What I like about the ending is that it leaves a lot up for interpretation as to what the ending means and what the final answers imply. Some people will be frustrated by the lack of answers given and wish there were more answers given. The answers I wanted were answered, so the fact that some questions weren’t answered didn’t bother me or make the ending weaker for me. What’s fun about the ending is that I think there’s going to be a lot of fan theories that arise from the ending and everybody will have a different interpretation of what this movie means. 

Finally, the two central performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsive are quite solid. These aren’t going to be some of the best performances of 2026 by any means. The Backrooms isn’t a character driven film, so there’s not a whole lot of backstory for them to work with here. But with the material they’re given and the hints of backstory we do get, they do a solid job and make you buy into them. These are two Oscar nominated talents so of course they’re great. I just really liked what both of them brought to this film and made them feel grounded and like people you might know in real life despite being in the center of this crazy situation. 

The Bad

There wasn’t a whole lot about this film that bothered me or I wish was different. The first thing that comes to mind is there’s a pretty sudden shift from the second act to the third act, in terms of which characters we’re following and some certain reveals take place. In that transition from the different acts, it feels like 5-10 minutes was cut from the film. Some scenes later on basically say what was missing in those 5-10 minutes in terms of what our characters have been up to. It’s not a big issue that the film was missing those 5-10 minutes there. In the context of the story and the structure, it felt sudden and takes you out of the movie for a little bit because it’s so sudden with no real hints or teases earlier on of what takes place. 

Also, without spoiling anything there’s a certain antagonistic force in the third act that plays a major part that didn’t fully work for me. I’m trying to be as vague as possible because it is a reveal, but if you’ve seen the film you know what I’m talking about. The idea of it and how it connects to the story I think makes sense and with the themes being explored, but the design and look of it felt a bit off. I don’t know if that was intentional to purposely make it look off because of the context that our characters are in, but it just looked off and didn’t look quite right as a piece of filmmaking. 

Final Thoughts: Overall, The Backrooms is one of the biggest surprises of 2026 so far. I didn’t go into this film with super high expectations, I didn’t know the lore or see a trailer for it. This was just a great time at the movies that kept me creeped out simply because of the production design of the film and the creepy atmospheric nature that the film provides. If you’re a fan of The Backrooms and the lore, this is of course a must watch film and if you’re not a fan, you should still watch this film because it’s great. 

The Score: 8.9/10 (B+)