Fall into Kane Parsons' A24 Backrooms Horror Hellscape | Film Review

An all consuming film that catapults you into a surrealist world of claustrophobic anxiety and head scratching mysteries. Backrooms (2026) is a horror, thriller that plays with the vast possibilities of space, more specifically liminal space. Backrooms follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a furniture store owner and failed architect who goes missing. Later, his disappearance is investigated by his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve) and she finds herself trapped in a hellscape of rooms. 

Backrooms takes its audience on a journey through endless corridors and unnatural settings to edge closer to the truth behind the mysterious doorway that appeared in Clark’s furniture store. The film isn’t just a visual feast for the eyes, it is a thought provoking thriller that will have you biting your nails and leaning on the edge of your seat. Backrooms isn’t a film that delivers in your typical jump scare, this film isn’t made for cheap scares. Instead, this is a concept that will linger on your mind, the simplistic idea of being trapped in endless rooms with something chasing you is fundamentally terrifying and Backrooms plays with this instinctive fear, is places us in the eyes of the hunted. 

Backrooms is a horror film layered with meaning and metaphor, the film is littered with poetic license and I believe it has the possibility to be infamously memorable for everyone who watches it. 

For those who don’t know, director Kane Parsons has built his career on the foundation of the backrooms concept. He has dedicated years of his life to materialising this idea through a series of youtube videos and now he takes his knowledge and skills to the big screen. Backrooms is a perfect extension of the world he has already created and if you’re unfamiliar with his previous work this film will consume you and make you tremendously curious to the possibilities of the backrooms.  

Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performance gradually gets more and more disturbed. He plays a flawed character, a deeply insecure and unpredictable man who is living on the brink of a mental breakdown. Ejiofor is the glue keeping the film together, his performance acts as the catalyst for everything that goes wrong and honestly, he was able to give a believable performance in the face of utter madness and chaos. 

Alongside, Renate Reinsve, who is one of the most talented and versatile actors working today. She supports Ejiofor until she had to prioritise herself. Reinsve is immersed in the world deeper than anyone else, she experiences the most of the surreal and disturbing moments and she pulls the audiences into the madness with her. Both actors were perfectly picked for their roles, they were able to apply naturalism to the surrealism and guide the viewer through the horror until the very end. 

Structurally, the film has an intriguing pace. It starts with the classic hand held footage and catapults the audience into the horror without a moments notice. The opening and closing scenes perfect book end the film, both scenes were unforgettably perfect. 

To conclude, Backrooms is a thrilling, thought provoking, head scratching, anxiety inducing original piece of storytelling. Backrooms promising high stakes story, compelling performances by some of the most talented working today and exceptional use of practical and special effects and guess what, the film delivers all of the above. 

Backrooms is the kind of original horror I expect from A24, it showcases high quality concepts, set design, storytelling, performances but most of all unpredictable conclusions. Backrooms left me feeling utterly empty and believe it or not, I mean that in the post positive way. The film takes a moment to build the suspense but once it does, it doesn’t stop and the ending is spine chillingly ominous. Kane Parsons exceeded all of my expectations and I have no doubt this is not the end of backrooms, we will be seeing more of this world and personally, I cannot wait to watch it unfold. 

Probe Points: ★★★★

Watch the Trailer: https://youtu.be/0HjdiohVOik