Backrooms (2026)

Backrooms

• This is everything that The Backrooms visually and stylistically should’ve been. I’ll touch on the plot in just a minute, but I wanna gush over everything else first. For starters, the production design is easily among the best of the year so far, and it was so unbelievably immersive and liminal. Every square inch of The Backrooms felt so alive yet so dead, and I’m having a really hard time believing that I can’t actually go there. Much like the Black Lodge from ‘Twin Peaks’, it’s such an otherworldly physical creation that scares the hell out of me in every sense. Between the “found footage” and the third person POV, it all completely works. To me, it’s everything The Backrooms should be. Physically, aesthetically, atmospherically, and everything that ends with “-cally”. The sound design was also phenomenal, and helps elevate the tension and horror. The sound (and score, too) is its own thing, while using elements from the liminal/analog horror side of the internet and YouTube series. The performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are astounding, as expected. They both carry their own and even though their characters aren’t as fleshed out as I’d like, they really tie everything together. Now, the plot can seem muddled, lacking substance, and too vague. But to me, that’s exactly what The Backrooms is about. There’s so many questions and I was left in disbelief, trying to make sense of everything that just happened. In my eyes, that’s an absolute success. In other people's eyes, that shows no imagination and too much sloppiness. Horror is the most subjective film genre out there, and the best thing I can say is just to watch this and find out for yourself. Don’t set any expectations, just enjoy it and sink into the atmosphere. Overall, it’s a very solid film that checked off a lot of boxes for me. I know it’s gonna stick with me for a while. While it definitely could’ve built a stronger background for Clark and Mary, I think by the end, it both makes sense, and doesn’t. A lot like ‘Twin Peaks’. I would recommend it to all horror fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!