Backrooms

Screened at Festival Theaters, Palm Springs, California

I would give this new pipsqueak director Kane Parsons big kudos for creating not just a story, but a complete film out of the his series of YouTube shorts he created in 2022 called 'The Backrooms.' Those shorts, highly influenced by internet fads including "creepypasta" and "liminal spaces," got him noticed by Hollywood, including the popular hipster film company A24 who took a chance on him. By "chance," I mean he doesn't turn 21 until June 2026. For someone with so little experience in the business, that transition to a feature is an impressive feat. The problem is it doesn't completely cross the finish line.

There are creepy and eerie moments sprinkled throughout Backrooms, and overall it's a rather immersive experience throughout. The issue is that very same story that I just described as impressive. It still earns that description, but there are faults that can't be ignored, and brought my rating down at a good clip. I've heard this film described as "Lynchian," but as "weird" as his films can be, at the core of what he did was tell human stories, as dark as they may be. There is an attempt at that here, but as a first-time filmmaker, I think Parsons is still figuring out exactly how to translate that to screen. It's not a major criticism as what he achieves here in this sci-fi/horror hybrid shows great promise for his career. I had to cover my eyes a few times even, and overall the weirdness of it all does sustain throughout the runtime. It's just that the elements that were not working, were pretty glaring, and prevents this from being the "excellent breakout feature" many were hoping for. What those elements are exactly, I'd rather not say, as I do recommend checking this out, and as is the case more and more, going in knowing as little as possible is the best way to enjoy this.

But if you get confused, lost or bewildered, do not worry. Fascinating one moment, eye-rolling the next, it's such an interesting watch that whether you go in blind, or know the lore of 'The Backrooms' front-to-back, you'll likely find much to love here, or perhaps too much, which then has you scratching your head more often than not. With a little more human grounding, this could have been one of the better releases in 2026. Instead, it's "just" an excellent curiosity, one that I'll likely give a repeat viewing one day down the road. Or down the hallway. Or something.