Backrooms Review: How Kane Parsons and Chiwetel Ejiofor Reinvent Horror

Why Kane Parsons’ Backrooms Is One of the Most Unsettling Horror Movies of the Year

The internet phenomenon known as Backrooms has officially made the jump to the big screen, and first-time feature director Kane Parsons has delivered a horror film that feels unlike almost anything else currently in theaters. Led by powerful performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, the film blends psychological horror, found-footage influences, and existential dread into a chilling exploration of memory, reality, and fear.

Rather than relying solely on traditional jump scares, Backrooms creates terror through atmosphere, isolation, and the unsettling feeling that something is deeply wrong even when nothing obvious is happening.

Movie Details at a Glance

• Movie: Backrooms
• Director: Kane Parsons
• Writer: Will Soodik
• Genre: Psychological Horror, Sci-Fi Horror
• Main Cast:
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark
  • Renate Reinsve as Mary
• Setting: Early 1990s
• Based On: Kane Parsons' viral Backrooms web series

Chiwetel Ejiofor Plays a Man Trapped by Failure

Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, is a struggling architect whose life has fallen apart.

• Separated from his wife
• Battling alcoholism
• Managing a massive discount furniture store
• Forced to sleep inside the store to survive financially

His workplace, Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire, becomes one of the film's most memorable locations. The giant showroom is filled with artificial living spaces that already feel unsettling before the supernatural elements arrive.

Clark's personal failures become intertwined with the strange mystery hidden beneath the building.

Renate Reinsve Brings Emotional Weight as Mary

Mary serves as Clark's therapist and becomes a crucial part of the story.

• Gentle and compassionate personality
• Creates self-help audio programs
• Haunted by traumatic childhood memories
• Drawn into the mystery while searching for Clark

Renate Reinsve gives one of the film's strongest performances, helping ground the increasingly surreal narrative in genuine human emotion.

‘Backrooms’ is now the biggest opening ever for an original horror film at $118 MILLION globally.

Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons. pic.twitter.com/as7po1Pp1Y

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 31, 2026

What Are the Backrooms?

The film's central mystery begins when Clark discovers an unusual section of wall inside the furniture store's basement.

Behind it lies:

• An infinite network of hidden rooms
• Strange versions of familiar places
• Distorted snapshots of reality
• Endless corridors that appear to stretch forever

Each room feels slightly wrong, creating a constant sense of discomfort. The environments resemble memories, dreams, or alternate realities, though the film never provides easy answers.

That ambiguity becomes one of the movie's greatest strengths.

Production Design Creates Constant Unease

One of Backrooms' biggest achievements is its visual design.

Production designer Danny Vermette creates an endless maze of eerie spaces that feel both familiar and alien.

Highlights include:

• Empty office complexes
• Vast storage areas
• Artificial bedrooms
• Endless hallways
• Abandoned commercial interiors

Combined with cinematographer Jeremy Cox's dim yellow lighting, the film creates an atmosphere that feels suffocating from beginning to end.

Every room appears ordinary at first glance, yet somehow deeply unsettling.

“A major new moviemaking talent has arrived in director Kane Parsons, and he’s the beginning of a movement.” (@LATimes)

BACKROOMS is now playing in theaters everywhere. pic.twitter.com/NawG4y1NwU

— A24 (@A24) May 29, 2026

Horror That Builds Through Atmosphere

Unlike many modern horror films, Backrooms focuses on psychological tension rather than nonstop scares.

The film delivers:

• Jump scares
• Slow-burn suspense
• Disturbing visual moments
• Psychological dread
• Existential horror

As Clark and Mary venture deeper into the endless maze, the tension steadily increases toward a terrifying finale.

The result is a horror experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

Backrooms Review Verdict

Kane Parsons proves that his viral internet concept can work brilliantly as a feature-length film. Backrooms combines stunning production design, strong performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, and an unforgettable atmosphere of dread to create one of the year's most original horror movies.

For viewers who enjoy psychological horror, surreal mysteries, and films that leave questions unanswered, Backrooms is a deeply unsettling journey worth experiencing.

Rating: 4.5/5