The new A24 horror movie Backrooms arrived in theaters on May 29, 2026, and it is already scaring audiences with something unexpected. The film does not rely on jump scares or monsters. Instead, it turns boring empty rooms into the main source of fear.
Director Kane Parsons, who is only 20 years old, takes a simple internet creepypasta and builds a full movie around it. The story follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an architect who now runs a furniture store. He finds a strange doorway in his basement that leads to an endless maze of yellow offices and hallways.
What starts as a strange discovery becomes a nightmare. Clark and his therapist Dr Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve) go deeper into this world. They try to understand where it comes from and who controls it. The answers never come easily.
The Viral Internet Legend Finally Hits the Big Screen
The Backrooms started as a simple image posted on 4chan in 2019. The picture showed a yellow room with fluorescent lights and damp carpet. Someone wrote a short story about “noclipping” out of reality and ending up in this endless space.
Kane Parsons saw this image and turned it into a YouTube series in 2022. He was only 16 years old at the time. He used free software called Blender to create short films about people trapped in the Backrooms. Those videos got more than 190 million views.
A24 noticed the buzz and gave Parsons a chance to make a full movie. He became the youngest director ever to work with the studio. The film keeps the same visual style as his YouTube videos. But the production team built physical sets instead of using computer animation.
Danny Vermette, the production designer, told Dezeen that the team built a 30,000 square foot set across four sound stages. They tested 30 different wallpaper and carpet combinations to get the right look.
Liminal Spaces Become the Real Villain
The horror in Backrooms comes from a concept called “liminal spaces.” These are places that feel like they are in between other places. Think of empty malls, airport hallways at night, or hotel corridors that look the same for miles.
Philosopher Mark Auge called these “non-places.” Architect Rem Koolhaas called them “Junkspace.” They are the leftovers of modern building design where everything looks the same.
Kane Parsons explained his interest in this idea on the A24 podcast. He said the world has been trending toward a “spiral of industrialism” for centuries, adding, “We’re kind of getting stuck in this monoculture.”
The film uses drop ceilings, beige carpets, and yellow lighting to create this feeling. These elements appear in offices, schools, and stores around the world. But in Backrooms, they go on forever. There is no exit. The sameness becomes a trap.
Parsons called the drop ceiling a perfect symbol for this kind of monoculture. It is everywhere. It hides pipes and wires. It makes every room feel the same. In the film, these ceilings stretch into darkness without end.
Architects and Critics Respond to the Film
The early reviews for Backrooms came out before its release. Critics had mixed reactions, but most praised the film’s atmosphere and tension.
Courtney Howard, a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic, wrote on X, “#Backrooms scrambled my brain & f*cked me up real good. Chiwetel Ejiofor & Renate Reinsve explore a veritable nightmare factory. Kane Parsons is a modernist architect of panic attacks.”
Tom Chatalbash, another critic, said, “#Backrooms is a spine-tingling debut for Kane Parsons. His restraint and patience as a filmmaker at such a young age is impressive, using wide, open framing and near ceaseless tension.”
Christopher Gallardo called the film “chilling, uniquely mysterious, and exceptionally creepy,” adding that Parsons shows “great confidence, perfectly blending his YouTube style with A24’s cinematic flair.”
Not every review was positive. Hunter Bolding wrote, “Backrooms is woefully boring. Inept, meandering, and all style, no substance, the film is just like the Backrooms it comes from.”
Architects have a special connection to the film. The main character Clark is an architect who failed in his career and now sells furniture. The movie uses technical drawings and building plans as part of the story.
Danny Vermette said architects will “cringe a bit” at the design horrors in the film. He explained that the Backrooms exist partly because of “bad design, lazy design” from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s when builders focused more on volume than on creating meaningful spaces.
Where You Can Watch Backrooms Right Now
Backrooms is playing exclusively in theaters as of May 29, 2026. The film is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Indian audiences can check local theater listings for showtimes in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore.
The movie runs for 1 hour and 48 minutes. It is rated R for disturbing violent content and language.
A streaming release date has not been announced yet. A24 movies typically arrive on digital platforms about 45 to 60 days after their theatrical debut. The film will likely become available on platforms like Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Microsoft Store for rental or purchase by late July or early August 2026.
Some reports suggest the movie could eventually stream on HBO Max. A24 has a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery that sends their films to HBO Max after their theatrical and digital runs. This would likely happen in late 2026 or early 2027.
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Parsons Already Has Plans for More Backrooms Stories
Kane Parsons is not finished with this world. In an interview with Variety, he confirmed that he holds a contract and has plans for future installments. He said he is “definitely not done” with Backrooms.
Parsons described his current plans as existing in a “secret mystery world.” He told ScreenRant on the red carpet that audiences should expect to see “a little bit more” of the franchise in the near future.
The film was projected to open with around $20 million at the domestic box office. That number would make it a big success for A24 and would support more movies in this universe.
Parsons also wants to bring back actors from his original YouTube series if their characters return. This detail excites long time fans who have followed the Backrooms lore for years.
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