PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Back in 2022, ‘The Backrooms,’ a short film by Kane Parsons went viral, racking up millioms of views and capturing the horror community’s imagination. We covered it here at PopHorror, but I somehow completely missed it. That small film inspired A24’s new full length horror feature, Backrooms, which is scaring up big numbers at the box office. Does the feature version capture the mystique of the viral original?
Read on to find out in our spoiler free review! But first? The trailer!
Synopsis
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture store showroom leading to a surreal location beyond.
Kane Parsons directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Will Soodik. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Lukita Maxwell, and Finn Bennett.
The Story
Chuck (Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave), a down on his luck furniture salesman, uncovers a gateway to a place that can’t possibly exist in the basement of his store. His curiosity turns into an obsession as he attempts to unravel the mystery of what lies beyond. He recruits his assistant manager Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her cameraman boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett) to help document the experience so he can prove to his therapist (Renate Reinsve) that it’s not all in his imagination.
As the film progresses, the mystery deepens until you can’t be sure what’s real and what isn’t. It’s a slow burn that becomes a bonfire as Chuck delves deeper into the bizarre labyrinth that seems to have no end.
My Thoughts
Fear is most often rooted in the unknown. If you’ve been a horror fan for any amount of time, you reach a point where it feels like you’ve been there and done that with each new film you watch and it becomes harder and harder to get that rush all horror fans chase from a young age. It’s refreshing, then, when a film like Backrooms comes along. It’s creepy and unsettling, mainly because you have no idea what’s going on. What is this place? What’s beyond that next door? Is this real? The fear of the unknown is palpable, and once again very real. Maybe for the first time in a long time. It’s why Backrooms works so well.
The cast here is phenomenal. Chiwetel Ejiofor is perfect in this somewhat unhinged lead role, while Renate Reinsve grounds the film with her strength and vulnerability. You feel invested in these characters and their situation and you’re anxious to see what happens to them next.
The whole film feels like a jump scare waiting to happen, which adds a whole new dimension of terror, both when said jump scares happen and even moreso when they don’t. There’s a minimalism here, yet it somehow all feels larger than life. It’s a unique blend of claustrophobia, psychological horror, and found footage that comes together to form a unique cinematic horror experience. It’s all really well done.
Final Thoughts
A week ago if you told me you could make an effective horror film about a bunch of similar looking office building hallways, I’d have told you you were full of shit. I can’t remember the last time I was so happy to be wrong. Backrooms is a breath of fresh air. Creepy atmosphere. Gripping tension. Fine acting. Mind bending surrealism. It’s truly enjoyable on so many levels.
I can pretty much guarantee this is the one of the best horror films you’ll see in 2026. I highly recommend catching Backrooms in theaters if you can, to take advantage of the big screen and that awesome digital surround sound.
