In his recent breakout film that opened on May 29, 2026, fittingly titled “Backrooms,” up-and-coming director Kane Parsons has shown remarkable skill in creating a psychological horror movie that explores an abnormal, literally infinite place.

But what exactly are the Backrooms?

Originating from a small, anonymous Internet post on 4chan in 2019, the now massive media sensation of the Backrooms clearly had humble beginnings. The post describes a picture that showcases the interior of a building, with tan carpeting and yellow wallpaper covering the walls.

The post describes the building as the Backrooms, where “it’s nothing but six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.” According to the user, the Backrooms were where you would end up if you “noclipped,” or glitched, out of reality.

The post ends by stating: “God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you.”

Over time, the ominous concept of the Backrooms gained popularity online, and it was adapted into stories, video games, videos and short films, drawing the interest of millions of Internet users.

And now, it has its own cinema-released film.

Parsons’ movie is adapted from his own YouTube series, fittingly titled “The Backrooms.” Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the role of Clark, a drunk ex-husband and failed architect, trying desperately to make ends meet by selling furniture. Clark then meets frequently with Dr. Mary Kline, a psychologist and Clark’s therapist, who is played by Renate Reinsve.

The majority of the story follows Clark and his descent into madness after he stumbles upon a door to an infinite space of sprawling corridors, office space and yellow wallpaper—in other words, the Backrooms. However, he is not alone and is discreetly monitored by an organization that has already discovered the “liminal space,” another term for the Backrooms. The overall plot is remarkably simple. Someone finds something abnormal and then irrationally explores it with no regard for any potential dangers. Then, they encounter some scary, lethal troubles. Fun.

However, despite this simplicity, the movie’s narrative can feel disjointed. There are a lot—perhaps too many—narrative elements to digest. Dr. Kline’s backstory is disconnected—albeit purposefully—through traumatic flashbacks and memories. A mysterious organization monitors the Backrooms from the shadows, with few details revealed about them. Meanwhile, as Clark goes mad, viewers may become so immersed in the Backrooms that it becomes difficult to focus on him at all. Except, of course, when he is running for his life.

But in a way, that is the charm of the film. The movie’s immersion is immaculate, and Parsons is a master at making his audience feel as if they are actually there. At several points, the movie is recorded from the perspective of a handheld VHS camcorder. And although Parsons stated in an interview that the film crew did not actually use a physical handheld camcorder, the digital effects certainly make it look as if they actually did. This allowed some scenes to be recorded directly from the perspective of individual characters. That, combined with the camera’s shaky movements, the characters’ visible body language and heavy breathing, creates a feeling of constant anxiety. Then, when the characters are actually attacked, the camera’s blurry, VHS perspective distorts the audience’s view, making it unclear what is actually attacking, adding further chaos and fear to these scenes. It also pays homage to a lot of original Backrooms content scattered all over YouTube, much of which is stylized through a grainy, VHS perspective.

Regardless, most of “Backrooms” is shot from a traditional, high-resolution HD perspective. This is where Parsons truly shines. He envelops his audience in endless rows, corridors and winding rooms of 30,000 square feet—the approximate surface area of his set design.

The absence of any discernible objects in the continuous, monotonously yellow hallways makes seeing anything—or anyone—a constant source of tension. The film is a perfect psychological horror. Rather than needing grisly monsters and sudden jumpscares, it relies on the sheer terror of an unnatural, unfamiliar space in which the characters know they are not alone. Yet, that terror is not always felt.

The movie runs long enough that viewers may become accustomed to the supernatural setting, losing their sense of psychological fear. At that point, the strengths of psychological horror become its weaknesses, and it becomes easy to potentially doze off. Meanwhile, the film’s lead actor and actress do a convincing job of selling the story. Ejiofor plays a desperate person gone mad, and Reinsve plays someone who is otherwise calm but forced to draw the line. They fulfill those roles to the letter. Although their performances were not groundbreaking, they contributed perfectly to the uneasy and nerve-wracking feeling produced by the film.

“Backrooms” is an impressively skillful debut film. Parsons does not just succeed in capturing the unfamiliar and nightmarish nature of the Backrooms—he takes his audience there with him. And while the fear the film produces might wear off for some viewers, and the narrative is not totally cohesive, it is undeniable that Parsons has produced a psychological thriller with a new, unique setting.

The audience never knows what they might see, and even if they do see something, they might not even know what it is. That is what makes the movie terrifying. Because there’s one fear that humankind will never master: The fear of the unknown.