First Reactions To A24's Backrooms Movie Have Critics United

One of the most anticipated horror movies of 2026 is almost upon us. A24's "Backrooms" brings a viral internet sensation to the big screen and serves as the feature directorial debut of visual effects prodigy Kane Parsons, who previously turned the concept of hypothetical liminal spaces of unending rooms and hallways into a much-celebrated YouTube web series.

Details about the film have so far been as elusive and secretive as the titular backrooms themselves. However, we know that the movie centers on Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve, who's fresh off scoring her first acting Oscar nod for "Sentimental Value"), a therapist who goes to an otherworldly dimension in search of her missing patient Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Mark Duplass also appears in the film, as do Finn Bennett ("A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms") and Lukita Maxwell ("Shrinking"). So far, though, the trailers have revealed pretty much nothing about the movie other than it looks creepy as hell, a smart move that worked wonders for Neon's incredible marketing campaign for "Longlegs."

Now that "Backrooms" has screened for critics, the first reactions are out, and they seem to agree: This film marks the arrival of a new and important voice in horror. At least, that's what /Film's own BJ Colangelo indicated on X/Twitter, writing, "Kane Parsons delivers a promising debut feature, firmly establishing himself as one to watch." She also called the flick "easily the best creepypasta adaptation yet." And sure, that bar might seem low due to movies like the absolutely horrendous "Slender Man," but given that Syfy's wonderfully terrifying yet sadly canceled horror anthology series "Channel Zero" falls under the same umbrella, this is genuinely high praise.

The LA Times' Joshua Rothkopf issued a warning for those expecting "Backrooms" to be full of big set pieces, calling it "horror stripped to its essentials: a hallway, a door, knowing that you will go through it. Conceptually, it's a triumph, a nightmare with its own weather."

Moreover, the early critical consensus is that the 20-year-old director Kane Parsons has a bright future and already knows how to deliver an effective horror picture. Elsewhere on X/Twitter, The Playlist's Mike DeAngelo called Parsons "a new horror director to watch," with Will Landman noting that "the command Kane has over the camera, the ways he builds tension, the score he helped co-compose, and the mix of VFX with his bread & butter, Blender" are all particularly impressive. Similarly, critic Courtney Howard praised Parson's "brilliant, frightening vision," calling his film claustrophobic, pulse-pounding, and "freaky AF."

Suffice it to say, this sounds like a pretty dang spooky horror flick thus far. All the same, it appears that there's more to "Backrooms" than the concept of empty spaces. Indeed, critics are further united in heralding Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, with critic Chris Aguilar writing that the movie only holds together thanks to the pair's "very vulnerable and intense performances."

If "Backrooms" becomes a hit, then, we will almost certainly be seeing Parsons set to work on another feature in the immediate future. Who knows: Perhaps he'll become the filmmaker who finally adapts the popular anime "Attack on Titan" into a live-action movie, considering he's already made a terrific web series that reimagines the show as historical footage.

"Backrooms" opens in theaters on May 29, 2026.