Backrooms is a movie that I was very excited to check out. I was a huge fan of the whole Backrooms creepypasta thing, and when young Kane Parson released a YouTube series based on the Backrooms creepypasta, I was all in on it. That YouTube series was a monster of a hit, getting over 80 million views for the first episode!
Where to Watch Backrooms
Backrooms was released on May 29, 2026. You can soon expect to be abkle ti stream the film from digital platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and HBO Max.
The Movie Review
As you would expect, this made Hollywood very interested, and there was a ton of interest from various studios about making a movie based on the Backrooms. It would be A24 that would secure the rights, and as I am a huge fan of that studio, I thought that they were perfect to bring this to the big screen, and their getting the series creator, Kane Parsons, to direct was very cool. The YouTube series is done in a found footage style, and there are elements of that here. The movie actually starts this way, and I thought that was so cool.
How Backrooms Compares to the YouTube Series
Now, let me get this out of the way, I think for a random person who just saw the trailer, saw that Chiwetel Ejiofor was in this and thought it looked interesting, but had no prior knowledge of this…. I am not sure this is going to be something that wins them over. Actually, when I left the theatre, there was a good mixture of people who seemed really pumped up by the movie and those who thought that it was too weird, and I even heard one woman say that she hated it and thought it was dumb. The person I always speak to at my theatre said that the response seems to be that people either love it or flat-out hate it!
While there are elements of things from the YouTube series, such as the company, the Async Research Facility, and the 90s setting, Backrooms, the movie is very much its own take on the creepypasta legend. Still, I think that those who are familiar with the YouTube show and the other lore that has been created about the Backrooms will get a real kick out of this. I know that I certainly did.
Clark’s Journey Into the Backrooms
The plot centers around a man called Clark, who is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Clark runs a furniture store that is struggling, and his personal life is in ruins, too. He has a therapist called Mary (played by Renate Reinseve), and she is dealing with her own stuff as well. Clark is living in his store after being kicked out by his wife, and there is something weird happening with the electricity.
One night, Clark heads down into the basement to see what is happening with the breaker, and he notices a light in a slit in the wall. He touches it and ends up going into the Backrooms. Not sure what the heck is going on, Clark starts to explore this strange place that has many things from his real world, but they are just kind of off. During his exploration, he is chased by something and manages to make his way out.
Exploring the Mystery of the Backrooms
Clark tries to map the Backrooms, and when he tells Mary about it, he can tell that she does not believe him! Clark decides to get his two employees to come with him into the Backrooms so that he can film it and get proof. I cannot really go into more than that, but the further into the Backrooms Clark goes, the stranger things start to get.
If you come into this wanting a movie that is going to give you answers to all the weird stuff you are seeing, you will be disappointed. While Backrooms does explain some things, there is more that is left unexplained. My son and I liked how it did not overexplain things, but I can see why, for some, this would be very frustrating. I actually heard someone in the theater I was in saying, “Is that it?” when the credits started to roll.
Backrooms Creatures and Horror Elements
On one hand, I liked how it did not overexplain things. However, I do wish that it showed more of the creatures of the Backrooms. While I really liked this, before I saw it, my imagination was running wild with the entities/creatures that could be in this movie. I wondered if there would be a mix of the stuff from Kane Parsons’ YouTube series, as well as some of the more iconic stuff that is posted online. I, for one, really wanted to see the Death Moths. That was the one area where I felt the movie was lacking, as there was way more cool stuff that they could have shown. The Backrooms creatures that they did show were creepy for sure, but I was left wanting more.
Final Thoughts on Backrooms
While I do wish there were far more creatures, I still had a good time watching this. At the same time, while I liked it, I can see why some people would not like this at all. There is no way in hell I would try to get my wife to watch this, as I know she would absolutely hate it! A huge part of the fun of watching a movie like this is discussing it with others and coming up with your own theories and ideas. For those who like a movie that is more structured and explains things better, this may not be for you.
