Backrooms (2026)

PC3's Horror and Exploitation Movie Scale of Awesomeness

Considering the state of modern cinema—with all the superhero garbage and the endless remakes, reimaginings, and sequels, not to mention the filmmakers who don’t bat an eye while stomping all over the source material in their latest “blockbuster”—I’ve gotten to a point where I no longer truly get excited when I see a movie announced. I’ve been disappointed too many times to allow it.

So, when I saw the first teaser of Backrooms a while ago, I raised an eyebrow with cautious optimism. But I did not get excited. As I walked into the theater with my wife and daughter on Sunday, I hoped the absurd money they demand these days would not be a complete waste. I hoped we would have fun, maybe even get a little scared.

And you know what . . .

Backrooms blew us the hell away. It’s a legit horror flick with genuine scares and a dark, unfathomable mystery at its core that your mind struggles to grapple with.

Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a depressed divorcee and failed architect, owns and operates a furniture store. After repeated odd electrical issues, he goes into the basement and notices a strange line of light on one wall. Before you know it, he’s stumbling his was through this wall and into . . . the backrooms.

I don’t want to get too far into what happens and what is seen in the backrooms. A giant part of what makes the movie fun is not knowing what is going to happen when Clark rounds the next corner. Suffice to say, it’s weird and frightening and has you on edge through the entire running time. Some other folks end up going inside with Clark, then looking Clark, and things do not go well for anyone involved.

Ejiofor is excellent in his role and Renate Reinsve, who plays Clark’s counselor Mary, is also very good.

The special effects are terrific. I have no idea if there was CGI involved, but it all looks and feels real. You feel like you could walk right into those liminal spaces, like you might round the corner at work tomorrow and suddenly find yourself in the backrooms. What truly stands out about this film—far more than the great acting and mounting unease—is the vast weirdness of the setting. Think about movies like The Revenant and No Country for Old Men, where the landscape and the shots are as powerful as any actor could ever be, almost becoming a character itself. That’s how the setting in Backrooms feels—immense and immersive.

I could make some minor complaints. The pacing is a little too quick at a couple points, with Clark seeming to go obsessive and mad in a flash. And they turned the camera away from what could have been a killer gore scene—I’m always in favor of showing the nasty bits and not allowing the viewer to look away. But that’s about it. Backrooms is one heck of a good horror movie.

So, maybe there is hope for the future of cinema. Maybe they won’t just keep churning out the same big-budget slop year after year. I’m trying my damnedest not to get overly excited about Disclosure Day for fear it will let me down. Perhaps it will be a pleasant surprise as well.

PC3’s Horror and Exploitation Movie Scale of Awesomeness!

Gore - 5

Special Effects - 9

Nudity/Sexuality - 0

Wow Factor - 9

Acting - 9

Fear Factor - 8

Story/Plot/Originality - 6

Cinematography - 8

Sound/Music - 9

Fun Factor - 8

Nice! Backrooms scores a 71 on the PHEMSA, one of the highest scores ever. I did knock off a couple of points from Story/Plot/Originality because of the pacing. Something I forgot to mention is how creepy even the sound—or lack of sound—is. The fluorescent buzz of emptiness. It’s chilling. Give this one a watch if you can!