Lost in the Backrooms. A Creepy Way to Start Spooky Season Backrooms (2026)

Backrooms is a pretty great way to kick off spooky season. I went into this one expecting an unsettling horror experience, and thankfully, it delivered. The biggest strength of the movie is easily its atmosphere. The endless yellow rooms, fluorescent lighting, empty hallways and constant feeling of isolation create an environment that is creepy without needing to rely on cheap jump scares every few minutes. There is something genuinely uncomfortable about watching characters wander through a place that looks strangely familiar but feels completely wrong. I also liked how the movie uses the unknown to its advantage. You don't necessarily know where the characters are, how they got there, what the rules are or whether there is actually a way out. That uncertainty makes the Backrooms themselves feel like a character. Even when nothing is happening, you're waiting for something to go horribly wrong. The horror elements and creature sequences were another highlight. When the movie does decide to show you what is lurking in the Backrooms, it creates some memorable and tense moments. The feeling of being trapped somewhere with nowhere to run is something the movie handles particularly well. The visual style also works. The found-footage/analog-horror aesthetic fits the Backrooms concept perfectly and gives the movie an appropriately unsettling look. It feels like something you weren't supposed to find while browsing the internet at 2 a.m. However, there are some things that didn't work quite as well. The pacing can be inconsistent. The slow-burn approach works for building atmosphere, but there are sections where it feels like the movie is taking a little too long to get somewhere. I understand that wandering through the Backrooms is part of the experience, but eventually I wanted the story to move forward. I also think the characters aren't quite as interesting as the world around them. Whenever the movie focuses on the Backrooms themselves, I was completely invested. Some of the character-focused moments didn't have the same impact. Despite those issues, Backrooms succeeds at creating an unsettling horror experience. It understands that sometimes the scariest thing isn't seeing a monster it's being completely alone in a place that seems to have no end. Is it perfect? No. But did it make me nervous about accidentally walking through the wrong doorway and ending up in an endless yellow maze? Absolutely. A strong horror movie and a very fitting start to spooky season.

4/5