Backroom is a 2026 psychological sci-fi horror film directed by YouTube creator Kane Parsons and based on his viral internet creepypasta web series. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark and Renate Reinsve as his therapist, Mary. The two-hour film was released by A24 on May 29, 2026, and is available to stream on HBO Max.

The story takes place in San Jose, California, in 1990 and follows Clark, a furniture store owner who is dealing with anger and resentment toward his ex-wife, whom he blames for the failure of their marriage. While dealing with electrical problems at his store, Clark discovers a strange doorway in the basement that leads to an endless maze of yellow rooms and unsettling liminal spaces.

I’ll admit, the first half had me locked in. The endless yellow hallways, the weird spaces and the atmosphere had me waiting for something seriously creepy to happen. I kept thinking, Okay, something is about to go terribly wrong.

But…it never really did.

As the movie continued, I found myself getting tired of trying to figure out what was actually happening because, honestly, none of it really made sense. The story never seemed to develop much beyond the initial discovery of the room. Instead of building the tension, everything became more diluted, confusing, and frustrating.

Visually, though, I was impressed. The production design, sound, and cinematography did a great job creating an unsettling atmosphere. The whole liminal-space concept looked creepy and uncomfortable, which is exactly what you want from this type of horror.

The concept itself is interesting, a combination of sci-fi, psychological horror, and the whole liminal-space phenomenon but the movie never completely comes together. There were so many opportunities to build on the original concept, and instead, I felt like we were just going in circles.

And then there’s the ending…or should I say lack of an ending?

The movie gives us all these mind-bending horrors and then basically leaves us to figure out what the hell we just watched. I’m all for movies that make you think, but there’s a difference between leaving some things open to interpretation and leaving the audience with absolutely no explanation.

Couple of Critics Verdict: Backroom had a really interesting concept and some impressive visuals, but the story never lived up to the setup. The first half had me completely invested, but the further we got into the movie, the more confused and frustrated I became.

Great atmosphere. Interesting concept. Unfortunately, the story got lost somewhere in those yellow hallways.