Perhaps, we can say that this year brought quite some interesting movies in the horror genre. The movie in this review is one of them, and it seems to be quite an interesting one for reasons beyond just the screenplay and what you watch. It goes back deeper to the ideation and production, into what resulted in the movie. Having some of that information made me interested in seeing it.
Backrooms is one of the movies released this year that I happened to watch, and I realised it holds some backstories. An indie film directed by a 21-year-old is enough information to catch one's attention and draw their interest to watch it. The movie however holds more than that; it's adapted from and based on the YouTube video series of the same name from the director's channel, made into this major production.
The 2026 horror/sci-fi film is directed by Kane Parsons in his feature directorial debut, with him also co-scoring it. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, Mark Duplass as Phil, Finn Bennett as Robert “Bobby” Franklin, and Lukita Maxwell as Kathrine “Kat” Taylor, the film follows the discovery of a seemingly endless network of interconnected rooms and the psychological horror that follows within the space.
This space is located through a strange doorway found in the basement of a furniture store. Clark, a failed architect happened to be the owner of the store, which was struggling. His marriage was also struggling and he was trying to cope with alcoholism, thereby making him seek therapy through the services of Dr. Mary Kline, who happened to be dealing with her own trauma as well, and working through it.
Clark later discovered the space and would seek the help of his assistant manager, Kat and her boyfriend, Bobby to explore it. Before that discovery, the movie revealed a researcher who got separated from his group and was lost in “the Backrooms” which was a space containing dull yellow rooms, fluorescent lights, furnitures and other things within. He seemed to be chased by an unknown and unrevealed entity, that eventually got to him and killed him.
The scene introduced the nature of the horror in this movie, one that continued throughout. It's a psychological horror that draws its horror from the atmosphere, and the unknown that lies within the space. An endless interconnection of weird rooms, the feeling of being lost in such a space and the sense that something unseen and unknown is chasing one within is the psychological tool of horror employed here.
Unlike using cheap jump scares and monsters, it went a different route which is commendable and remarkable. The dull yellow rooms lighted by fluorescent lights gives a different experience and even to that which could be found with movies having something similar to this in their plots. Backrooms delivers the task of making a viewer ask and imagine what it would mean to be in such a space and situation, and what it could feel like.
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s acting carried well the psychological horror elements of the movie. The fear, emotion, confusion and the feeling of something lying within were good and duly displayed. Even his interactions with Renate Reinsve, who also brought a commendable performance that draws you into the plot and what's happening. Both actors portrayed their characters well, giving that unusual horror the movie employed and displayed.
For an indie film, with an obviously low budget, it did well with the numbers. The set design and cinematography deserve credit. It knew what it wanted to communicate and employed what was necessary to give that result, not without some things to question nonetheless, like the ending and where it was headed. Looking at the backstories and the production of this movie, it's commendable. Backrooms is a good watch.
Thank you for reading!
Rating: 80/100
