Don't Watch Backrooms Until You Know This

A24's latest horror outing, 'Backrooms', has crept into UK cinemas, and like most genuinely odd projects, there are a few things worth flagging before you settle in with your popcorn. If you know the source material—or, to be more accurate, the slightly obscure corner of viral internet mythos it's born from—this film sits in a strange lane: found footage, not about cheap jumps, but nerve-shredding atmosphere. Let's break down what you actually need to know if you're thinking about watching it.

So, who's behind this?

The film's directed by Kane Parsons, who, to be fair, has already become a bit of a cult name thanks to his original 'Backrooms' horror web series. Here, he's upgraded from YouTube horror darling to full cinematic field with a script penned by Will Soodik and Roberto Patino. If you recognise those names, that's probably because Soodik has been involved with the web content before.

As for the cast, it's quite a respectable lineup for something based on internet oddness:

• Chiwetel Ejiofor (yes, really, the Oscar nominee, leading this one)
• Renate Reinsve (worth checking out her past work if you need convincing she belongs here)
• Mark Duplass
• Finn Bennett
• Lucite Maxwell
• Avan Jogia

It’s also worth mentioning the producer power on this: James Wan—of 'Saw' and 'The Conjuring' fame—and Michael Clear are producing through Wan’s Atomic Monster label. That’s a lot of horror royalty in one production office.

What’s the story, then?

Officially, the plot is being kept vague on purpose, but the basic premise is this: 'A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.' That's the official logline, and frankly, it tells you everything and nothing. Don’t expect lore overload from marketing—most of the unease is in the not knowing.

What’s the film actually like?

The main thing audiences really need to know: 'Backrooms' does not rely on jump scares every three minutes. If anything, it actively avoids the typical horror cliches—a bold move given how easy it would be to milk the 'found footage' style for cheap frights. Instead, it leans heavily on atmosphere: you’ll get long stretches of characters creeping about maze-like, empty rooms, filmed almost entirely from their own viewpoint, and mostly silent apart from the sound of their own breathing and the occasional unsettling background noise.

There are a handful of well-timed jump scares peppered throughout, but fear here is mostly brewed up through tone, not just loud noises. If the general concept of eerie, liminal spaces—those slightly off-putting, in-between places you see in dreams or old offices—unnerves you, this is likely to get under your skin. If you need gore and screaming faces to feel scared, this might not be your brand of nightmare, but you may still find yourself unsettled.

Do you need to know the 'Backrooms' lore first?

Actually, no. You don't have to have seen every video in Parsons' original web series to have a clue what's going on. The film does a decent job of spelling out the basics: what these weird, endless rooms are about, who's investigating them, and what’s at stake. Of course, if you already know the various internet-legend origins of the Backrooms, you’ll probably pick up on a few more details, but you won’t be lost if you come in cold.

'A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom'