Since its conception, the internet has acted as a sort of treasure trove for horror stories. Given how far its outreach is, many individuals are given the opportunity to express their own stories and reach wide audiences. Platforms such as Reddit and 4Chan have given rise to some of the most famous horror icons in recent history. YouTube has given others the chance to create their own horror series and even films! These internet horror stories, typically associated with the term “Creepypasta,” have given way to such creatures and characters like Jeff the Killer and Smile Dog. Studios have even noticed the popularity of this horror and made their own takes on it, such as 2018’s Slender Man.
What makes the internet so beautiful, however, is that many of these creators have grown up with the web at their side. They have taken these icons and stories, such as Slenderman, and made it their own. Take a look at Marble Hornets, a fan series on YouTube regarding the character that many fans say is canon over the film! With the rise of analogue horror and found footage films, it makes sense that a concept such as the Backrooms would take the current landscape of the internet by storm.
In order to first properly review this film, one must know the origins of the concept of the Backrooms. The idea of the Backrooms was first introduced back in 2019 with a post on 4Chan. The post is simple, featuring a seemingly normal but slightly unnerving image of what appears to be an empty office building. The dingy yellow walls seem to crawl under your skin, but you are unsure why. The post itself discusses “noclipping through reality” and ending up in this place called “the Backrooms,” a place between places. While you must worry about the area itself, there is also a creature that is stalking you within the area. The post plays on the idea of the “liminal space,” an empty, familiar, almost nostalgic place that was trending on the internet for many years. From this single image, many different stories and media have been born.
On January 7, 2022, a video was uploaded on YouTube titled “The Backroom (Found Footage).” It was a visual representation of all of the fears elicited from the original post: Noclipping through reality, the loneliness of the area, and the constant dread of being stalked by a creature you do not understand. It was uploaded by 16-year-old Kane Parsons, otherwise known by his username Kane Pixels, and gained over 82 million views as of June 3, 2026. This notable feat caught the attention of not only the horror fans of the internet, but the executives of independent film studio A24 and popular horror producer James Wan.
And thus, 2026’s Backrooms film was born. Directed by now 20-year-old Parsons, the film follows Clark, a lonely owner of a discount furniture store played by the Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, as he finds a gateway to this other world, called “the Backrooms.” Alongside Clark is his therapist Mary, played by Oscar-nominated Renate Reinsve. After finding this mysterious place lying just underneath his furniture store, Clark begins to become obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the Backrooms. He recruits his two employees, played by Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell, to document the strange happenings of this place. All the while, Clark seems to be going mad within his therapy sessions, offering to show Mary the “beauty” within the Backrooms.
This premise kicks off what ends up being a spiraling, disorienting, and at times tricky journey through this labyrinthian setting. Backrooms works as a horror film focusing on the feelings of dread that the images elicit, not one of sheer terror. Parsons has a very clear vision for what he wants to do with this world, with many of the standout scenes being those closest to what he has posted on YouTube. The first act of the film does an excellent job setting up this spiraling staircase of terror. There is this sense of unease from the very first frame of the film. It begins with a short found-footage segment, reminiscent of those made by Parsons on his YouTube channel. It sets the tone for the rest of the film, cutting to Clark in his lonely kingdom of chairs and couches.
The second act of the film is by far the strongest. Following Clark’s descent into the Backrooms and his own psyche, Parsons highlights the maddening nature of the Backrooms. The blank, damp, yellow walls have the same effect on the characters and the audience. It is claustrophobic despite how ever-expanding this dimension may be. The walls seem to close in on themselves. Everything feels…off in this act. This is emphasized by some amazing creature design (which I will not go into too much) that leads to some of the most fun scares of 2026.
©A24
Parsons does an excellent job of directing this film. I do not want to focus on his age (though directing this at 19 and 20 is incredibly impressive), but instead on how promising this debut feature is for the young director. Of course, the Backrooms are the highlight of the movie. Parsons has worked for years within this environment, so he understands what exactly makes this concept tick with audiences. The found footage segments of the film remain my favorites and the strongest. These portions give Parsons full control over the environment, combining both Blender animation and real footage to create them. The VHS aesthetic and the first-person perspective put the audience within the titular environment, allowing them to feel the dread that the characters in the film feel as well. There is one scene towards the end of act 2 that is one of the most effective uses of found footage in horror I have ever seen.
Many skeptics expressed their worries over the more “cinematic” parts of the film, with concerns over this being Parsons’ debut feature film. These should be quickly quelled, however. Parson uses the same techniques he shows within the Backrooms throughout the scenes outside of them as well. There is always something “off” about these scenes. Sometimes the sky looks a little too blue; sometimes the angle makes the character on screen look a bit uncanny. Whether we are inside the Backrooms or not, you can never be sure what is part of this world and what isn’t within this film.
The story itself is strong, but not without some weaknesses. While the film remains very engaging throughout, many viewers may be left confused without prior knowledge of Parsons’ Backrooms series on YouTube. This film acts as a sort of continuation/side-piece to these instead of its standalone thing. While this is not necessarily a problem, it does make it a bit less accessible to the general horror audience. Some of the criticisms of this film have been that it does not feature other “levels” to the Backrooms, something popularized by the Backroom Wiki page. It is important to keep in mind that Parsons’ canon is its own thing separate from the Wiki, which may make things even more confusing for audiences. That is not a criticism, as Parsons does an excellent job building his own lore for the world, but just a comment regarding other criticism I have seen.
Alongside the writing and directing, Parsons also helped to work on much of the music in the film. Songs such as “Still Life” really stood out within the film, not only because they are easily recognizable amongst fans, but also they fit the aesthetic of the world. Without any spoilers, fans of the Backrooms will be pleased to hear many more familiar favorites from the various posts.
Backrooms remains a dreadful movie, though it may not be as frightening as many people want. It keeps a very slow pace, slowly unravelling itself instead of presenting the horrors all at once. While some of the creature design may disappoint the audience, it all fits incredibly well into the world that Parsons has established before this. It is an excellent adaptation of an internet trend into a full feature-length film, and acts as a promising start to Kane Parsons’ feature length career. For anyone interested in internet horror, or just someone looking forward to the future generation of horror films, Backrooms is a must-watch in theaters.
