The internet has produced plenty of strange horror stories over the years, but few have captured people’s imagination quite like Backrooms. What began as a creepy online image and evolved into a massive internet phenomenon has now made its way to theaters. Bringing such a bizarre concept to the big screen was never going to be easy, yet director Kane Parsons manages to preserve much of what made the original idea so unsettling in the first place.
Rather than transforming the concept into a conventional horror blockbuster packed with loud scares and monster attacks, Parsons chooses a slower and more atmospheric route. The result is a film that often feels uncomfortable, eerie and strangely hypnotic, even when its storytelling occasionally loses direction inside its own maze-like world.
Atmosphere Becomes The Real Monster
At the center of the story is Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a former architect struggling to keep his furniture business alive. His life takes a bizarre turn after discovering a hidden passage beneath his showroom that leads into the Backrooms, a seemingly endless labyrinth of yellow corridors, empty spaces and impossible architecture. What begins as curiosity soon becomes obsession as Clark searches for answers in a place where reality itself seems broken.
As the mystery deepens, his therapist, portrayed by Renate Reinsve, becomes entangled in the investigation. Together they venture deeper into a world that feels disconnected from time, logic and human understanding. The further they travel, the more dangerous and psychologically draining the experience becomes.
The film’s greatest achievement is easily its atmosphere. Kane Parsons understands exactly why the Backrooms concept became such a viral sensation online. The empty hallways, buzzing fluorescent lights and endless rooms create a sense of dread that rarely lets up. There are moments when almost nothing happens on screen, yet viewers may still find themselves feeling uneasy. That lingering discomfort becomes the film’s most powerful weapon.
Visually, the movie is stunning in a strangely disturbing way. The production design creates environments that feel familiar yet completely wrong at the same time. Every hallway appears to stretch forever, every corner feels suspicious, and every room seems to hide something just beyond sight. Even when the plot slows down, the visual experience remains compelling enough to hold attention.
Strong Performances Can’t Fully Solve Story Problems
The performances help anchor the film when the narrative becomes increasingly abstract. Ejiofor delivers a committed performance as a man consumed by grief, obsession and the desperate need to understand the impossible. He brings emotional depth to a character who could have easily become lost within the film’s surreal concepts.
Reinsve also delivers a strong performance, providing a grounded counterbalance to Clark’s growing fixation. Her character often acts as the audience’s connection to reality, making the increasingly bizarre events feel more believable. Together, the two actors give the story emotional weight that prevents it from becoming purely an exercise in visual horror.
Where Backrooms struggles is in its storytelling. The script attempts to expand the mythology surrounding the mysterious dimension, but not every explanation works. At times the film reveals too much, reducing some of the mystery that made the original concept so effective. Then, in other moments, important questions are left hanging without satisfying answers.
The pacing can also feel uneven. Certain sequences build incredible tension, while others linger longer than necessary. Viewers who enjoy ambiguity may appreciate the film’s refusal to explain everything, but those looking for a more traditional narrative may occasionally feel disconnected from the story.
Still, Backrooms deserves credit for avoiding the easy route. Instead of turning the concept into another creature feature, the film embraces psychological horror and focuses on the fear of isolation, uncertainty and being trapped somewhere with no escape. That choice helps it stand apart from many recent horror releases that rely heavily on jump scares and familiar formulas.
Kane Parsons may not have delivered a perfect adaptation, but he has created something memorable. Backrooms succeeds most when it embraces the terrifying simplicity of its premise: getting lost in a place that never ends. The film’s story sometimes wanders, but its atmosphere remains haunting long after the credits roll.
Rating: 3/5
