It’s a great time for buzzy horror releases at the moment, and fresh from the massive success of Curry Baker’s Obsession, another creepy new film from a young YouTuber-turned-director is arriving on the big screen this week.
Backrooms is the debut feature from 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons, and is adapted from his own web series – which was in turn based on the popular internet “creepypasta” about a large extra-dimensional expanse of empty rooms.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve lead the cast in the film and early word has been very good indeed, with early box office projections indicating another major horror hit in what has already been a terrific 2026 for the genre.
Are you desperate to see what all the fuss about and find out what is quite so panic-induing about all those liminal spaces? Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch Backrooms.
How to watch Backrooms – is it streaming?
No, despite its origin as a series on YouTube this is very much a theatrical project – and so in the immediate future at least, the only way to watch the film will be by taking a trip to the pictures.
The film is released on Friday 29 May and is getting a very wide release, so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding a cinema that’s showing it. Just check your local for the best times that suit you!
When will Backrooms be available to watch at home?
Of course, as with all major releases the film will eventually be available to watch from your own home. As for when exactly that will be, we can’t be 100% sure at this early stage – and it could well depend on how much it lives up to those aforementioned box office expectations.
Often there’s around 45 days between theatrical release and streaming debut – although this can differ on a film by film basis, depending on everything from distributor and studio preference to the film’s performance.
But with that in mind, we’d probably be looking at somewhere around mid-July before the film becomes available to rent and buy on all the usual Premium Video On Demand platforms such as Prime Video and Apple TV. We’ll keep you updated if we hear anything more concrete!
It’s also been confirmed that after a new deal was struck between distributor A24 and HBO Max, the film will eventually be streaming on that platform in the US – although it’s not clear if that will be the same in the UK. Once again, we’ll be looking out for any official updates.
Backrooms plot – what’s it about?
The official synopsis teases: “Store owner Clark stumbles into an otherworldly dimension of never-ending office spaces that hides mysterious secrets. When he goes missing, his therapist, Dr Mary Kline, comes to search for him.”
Of course, that hardly covers a fraction of the creepy goings on that occur when Clark descends into the backrooms – and the various shocks and surprises that happen are probably best left mysterious ahead of watching.
If you’re keen to hear a little more, however, you can check out our spoiler-free 4-star review.
Backrooms cast – who stars in the film?
As mentioned above, the cast is led by a pair of previous Oscars nominees in the form of 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sentimental Value’s Renate Reinsve – whose other new film Fjord recently won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Also featuring in the cast are The Morning Show’s Mark Duplass (who recently strongly denied rumours that the film had been ghost directed by Longlegs’s Osgood Perkins), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star Finn Bennett and Shrinking’s Lukita Maxwell.
You can find the full cast below:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark
- Renate Reinsve as Dr Mary Kline
- Mark Duplass as a scientist
- Finn Bennett as Bobby
- Lukita Maxwell as Kat
- Avan Jogia as Naren Warne
- Robert Bobroczkyi as TBC
- Krista Kosonen as Mary’s mother
Backrooms trailer
If you’re still unsure whether this one is worth a trip to the cinema, perhaps the trailer below will convince you one way or another.
It certainly conjures up a creepy, eerie atmosphere – so probably gives you a decent idea of what to expect from the movie.
Backrooms is released in UK cinemas on Friday 29 May.
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