"Backrooms" REVIEW

Published on 6/3/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Kane Parsons 

Cast: Chitwel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Lukita Maxwell, Finn Bennett, etc. 

Plot: After a therapist's patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him. 

REVIEW 

Besides the brief videos I'd seen online that were very popular during the pandemic and the overall influence it's had on 2020s internet culture, I didn't know all that much about the lore behind backrooms- but with this film, you don't really need to. All you really need to know going into this film is that it's a horror film with Gen Z origins and very buzzy within Gen Z crowds, directed by Kane Parsons; a twenty year old YouTuber turned first time director that was entrusted with two high profile Oscar nominated actors, a sizable budget, and the more trusted than ever brand of being distributed by the A24 studio. Between twenty year old Kane Parsons (at the time of production, nineteen years old) with "Backrooms" and twenty six year old Curry Barker with "Obsession", the movie theaters and pop culture are currently dominated by two young Gen Z filmmakers that have made massively successful horror films that audiences and critics alike have responded to with enthusiasm and open arms for talented young filmmakers- not to mention, both formed their footing with YouTube channels. I for one believe that for as bleak as the future of Hollywood might look sometimes, if this new generation of passionate filmmakers are given the right opportunities it'll be a bright cinematic future. Anyways, back to "Backrooms". I really liked this film. Parsons directs this film with a strong cinematic vision, establishing the setting of the backrooms with such a compelling and dread-inducing atmosphere where the vastness of the unknown and ambiguity of space feels more dangerous than the actual dangers that lurk behind the corners of the neverending subliminal corners. A huge part of why so many find the backrooms terrifying is because of the sensory feelings of isolation and anticipation that are attached, something that Kane Parsons understands better than anyone else alive and is able to translate onto the big screen with cinematic precision. As for actually infusing the backrooms setting with big screen storytelling and characters, I thought a great job was done. The two characters that we follow, played very well by Chiwetel Ejofor and Renate Reinsve, have simplistic but nonetheless engaging development throughout. Their traumas and inner workings as characters follow a journey, and are both journeys that hold meaning within the backrooms- a place that's meaning is never truly clear, and the film leads you to form your own answers about it. The ending of the film is one big "there are answers out there, but you're gonna have to come up with them yourself or look 'em up online", and I enjoyed that ambiguity. This film may not be the next "great" horror film, but it's certainly a horror film thats value certainly feels like a big deal. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• The production design. This is a film where production design is basically the star. The architectural design of the backrooms is fascinating, with all of the liminal spaces and settings inside that are designed to feel as if everything we see is either a distant memory of a place we once knew or an unfamiliar place that we have no reason to be creeped out by but regardless are. Outside of all of the locations within the backrooms, Captain Clark's furniture store has very distinct set dressing as well. All around, the production design of this film had to be amazing or it wouldn't fully work as a film. 

• The sound design. This film's eeriness is in part fueled by ambient sound and the layering of sounds, the texture and atmosphere of the film's sound design playing a major role in what makes the backrooms setting so effective. Phenomenal sound work. 

• Chiwetel Ejofor and Renate Reinsve's performances. Both deliver emotionally interesting, sturdy performances. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• The screenplay is overall pretty good with its characters and story, but some bits of dialogue weren't great- in some scenes, either an excess of dialogue felt unnecessary or didn't feel fully polished. 

RATING

7/10

It's a must see for horror fans, buddy!