CinemaBravo

Backrooms feels like an endless nightmare you can’t look away from—absolute psychological chaos.

Directed by horror prodigy Kane Parsons, the film follows a group of unsuspecting individuals who slip through reality and find themselves trapped in a seemingly infinite, yellow-walled labyrinth of empty offices, hunted by an unsettling presence. Inspired by Parsons’ own viral YouTube series that captivated millions online, this feature film proves he is part of the next generation of horror filmmakers—the kind who knows exactly how to keep audiences at the very edge of their seats. It doesn’t just rely on jump scares; it aggressively plays with your imagination until you start questioning every blank wall around you.

The pacing is relentless, trapping you in the anxiety right alongside the characters. The labyrinth itself becomes a source of constant dread, making every moment feel like a battle against your own mind. It leaves you with the suffocating sensation that someone—or something—is watching you, even when there’s nothing in sight, and that is exactly what makes it so terrifying. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve pull you straight into the story before the true horror even begins. Every low hum, buzz, and echo adds another layer of unease that crawls under your skin. The casting is excellent and helps ground the film’s increasingly unsettling atmosphere.

Backrooms isn’t your typical horror film. Instead, it delivers a psychological dread that slowly but surely seeps into your veins. Think of it as a terrifyingly effective appetizer for the nightmares to come—and easily one of the standout horror films of the summer, alongside Obsession, Passengers, and Evil Dead Burn. It’s a film that deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen possible.