Backrooms (2026) – A Mind-Bending Psychological Horror That Will Haunt You
The yellow, fluorescent-lit rooms that go on forever. The endless, liminal spaces. The feeling that you've stepped into a nightmare that has no end. Just from the trailer, Backrooms grabbed my attention. And the full movie? It delivers on that promise.
This is a film that will keep you thinking long after the credits roll. What really were the Backrooms? What happened to Clark? What happened to Mary? These questions stay with you. It's tense, thought-provoking, and visually unforgettable.
My rating? 8 out of 10. Let's break it down.
The Plot: A Therapist, A Disappearance, and A Dimension Beyond Reality
Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a furniture store owner obsessed with a strange doorway that appears in his store's basement. It leads to a dimension of seemingly endless, yellow-lit liminal spaces—the Backrooms. His therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve) , becomes drawn into his obsession after one of her patients disappears into this terrifying alternate reality.
When Clark himself vanishes into the Backrooms, Mary must venture into the unknown to save him. What she finds is a labyrinth of distorted space, shifting realities, and psychological terror. The further she goes, the more she questions what's real—and what's inside her own mind.
What Works: Tension, Atmosphere, and Thought-Provoking Horror
The Atmosphere: The film creates an incredible sense of dread using minimal elements. The yellow lighting, the endless corridors, the silence broken by distant hums—it all works together to make you feel like you're trapped in a nightmare you can't wake up from. You can almost feel the buzz of the fluorescent lights.
The Performances: Chiwetel Ejiofor brings depth to Clark's obsession, making him both tragic and unsettling. Renate Reinsve is excellent as Mary, a therapist forced to confront not just the Backrooms, but also her own psychological limits. Their chemistry carries the film.
The Mystery: The film doesn't give you easy answers. What are the Backrooms? A parallel dimension? A shared hallucination? A psychological manifestation of trauma? The film leaves it open to interpretation, and that's what makes it stick with you.
The Visuals: Kane Parsons, making his feature debut, translates the unsettling aesthetic of his web series to the big screen perfectly. The Backrooms feel both familiar and deeply wrong—a space that shouldn't exist but does.
What Doesn't Work: The Ending and the Ambiguity
Some viewers might find the ending frustrating. The film deliberately avoids giving concrete answers. If you prefer movies that tie everything up in a neat bow, this might not satisfy you. But for those who enjoy ambiguity and psychological horror, it's exactly what you want.
See this video for more answers about the ending:
The Themes: Fear, Obsession, and the Unknown
Backrooms is about more than just scary hallways. It's about obsession—how it can consume you, pull you away from reality, and make you lose yourself. It's also about facing the unknown and what happens when we push too far beyond the boundaries of what we understand.
The Ratings: A Critical and Commercial Hit
IMDb: 6.9/10 (from 137,000 users)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Critics / 74% Audience
Budget: >$10 million
Box Office: $387.2 million worldwide
Critics loved it—87% is a strong score. Audiences were slightly more divided at 74%, likely because of the ambiguous ending. But financially, it's a massive success. It's now A24's highest-grossing film ever .
Final Verdict: An 8/10 Journey Worth Taking
Backrooms is a visually stunning, thought-provoking horror film that stays with you. It's not just about jump scares—it's about the unease of not knowing, the terror of the infinite, and the fear of losing yourself in a space that shouldn't exist.
My rating: 8 out of 10.
Recommendation: Watch it if you enjoy psychological horror, liminal spaces, or films that make you think. Turn off the lights. And prepare to feel like the walls are closing in.
Have you seen Backrooms? What do you think the Backrooms really are—a dimension, a hallucination, or something else? Let me know in the comments!
And suggest a movie for my next review! I'm in the mood for another mind-bending psychological horror film.
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See also My full list of 2026 movie reviews →
