Directed by Kane Parsons.
Backrooms was released in theaters in the United States on May 29, 2026.
Distributed by A24.
Backrooms (2026) Movie Review
Backrooms (2026) is a creepy horror movie that brings the famous internet legend to life.
The story follows a man who discovers a strange doorway leading to endless empty rooms filled with yellow walls and buzzing lights.
As he explores deeper, he faces fear, confusion, and danger.
The movie creates tension through its atmosphere rather than constant jump scares.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve deliver strong performances that keep the story emotional and engaging.
With impressive visuals, unsettling sound effects, and a unique concept, Backrooms is an entertaining horror film that will stay in viewers’ minds long after it ends.
CR Rating: 7.5/10.
Backrooms Actors
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark
DOB: July 10, 1977.
Bio: English actor, director, and writer born in London to Nigerian parents of Igbo heritage.
He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before launching a distinguished career across film, television, and theater.
Role: Clark is a struggling furniture store owner and former architect who discovers a mysterious doorway beneath his showroom leading into the Backrooms, an endless and unsettling labyrinth beyond reality.
What begins as curiosity gradually becomes obsession as Clark becomes increasingly consumed by the strange world he has uncovered.
Interesting facts: Ejiofor was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008 and later promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2015 for services to drama.
Notable Works: 12 Years a Slave, Love Actually, Dirty Pretty Things, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Serenity.
Renate Reinsve as Mary
DOB: November 24, 1987.
Bio: Norwegian actress whose breakout came with The Worst Person in the World, where she won Best Actress at Cannes.
She trained at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and has become known for performances that feel intimate, vulnerable, and emotionally precise.
Role: Mary is Clark’s therapist, and she becomes the character who follows his disappearance into the Backrooms.
The film frames her as the emotional and investigative counterweight to Clark’s self-destruction, making her one of the story’s most important anchors.
Interesting facts: Before landing her breakthrough role in The Worst Person in the World, Reinsve has said she was considering leaving acting altogether.
Notable Works: The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value, Presumed Innocent, A Different Man, Oslo, August 31st.
Mark Duplass as Phil
DOB: December 7, 1976.
Bio: American filmmaker, actor, writer, producer, and musician born in New Orleans.
Alongside his brother, Jay Duplass, he co-founded Duplass Brothers Productions, becoming one of the leading figures of the American independent-film movement.
Role: Phil is one of the major human figures in the film’s ensemble.
The credits place him close to the story’s domestic world, with listed family members including a wife and child, which makes him part of the ordinary life around Clark’s disappearance rather than just background texture.
Interesting facts: Duplass has repeatedly worked with his brother on both film and TV, and he is known for allowing a lot of improvisation in his projects.
Notable Works: The Morning Show, Creep, Creep 2, The League, The One I Love.
Finn Bennett as Bobby
DOB: December 27, 1999.
Bio: English actor from London who began training at Stagecoach Performing Arts as a child.
He has become one of the more closely watched young actors of his generation thanks to work in prestige TV and major genre projects.
Role: Bobby is one of the central supporting characters in the film’s human-world storyline.
The credit places him inside the core ensemble around Clark and Mary, helping the movie feel grounded even while the Backrooms itself grows more surreal.
Interesting facts: Bennett received a Trophée Chopard at Cannes in 2025 and was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.
He is also the son of novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett and journalist Georgina Henry.
Notable Works: True Detective: Night Country, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Warfare, Black Doves, Domina.
Lukita Maxwell as Kat
DOB: October 27, 2001.
Bio: Indonesian-born American actress who spent part of her childhood in Bali before moving to the United States.
She studied architecture at the Pratt Institute and rose to prominence through her performances in Generation and Shrinking.
Role: Kat is one of Clark’s closest allies and a key supporting character in the film.
Rather than simply existing on the “real-world side” of the story, Kat actively participates in investigating the mysterious dimension beneath Clark’s furniture store.
Interesting facts: Maxwell has spoken about her Buddhist faith, photography, collage-making, and creative interests outside acting.
Notable Works: Shrinking, Generation, The Young Wife, Afraid.
Avan Jogia as Naren Warne
DOB: February 9, 1992.
Bio: Canadian actor, writer, director, and activist born in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He began acting as a teenager and gained international recognition for playing Beck Oliver in the Nickelodeon series Victorious.
Role: Dr. Naren Warne is a scientist working for the Async Research Institute, the organization investigating and exploiting the mysterious Backrooms phenomenon.
He is one of the earliest researchers connected to the project and plays a crucial role in establishing the scientific side of the story.
Interesting facts: Jogia is engaged to singer Halsey, has spoken about leaving school early to pursue acting, and recently talked about wanting roles with more depth and complexity.
Notable Works: Victorious, Twisted, Now Apocalypse, Tut, Door Mouse.
Robert Bobroczkyi as Pirate Clark
DOB: July 17, 2000.
Bio: Romanian former basketball player and actor of Hungarian ethnicity, born in Arad, Romania.
He first gained international attention because of his extraordinary height and basketball potential, playing in youth programs in both Europe and the United States.
Role: Pirate Clark is the monstrous or distorted version of Clark that appears in the Backrooms material.
The name alone signals the film’s surreal, nightmare logic, and the part adds a visually striking version of Clark’s inner collapse.
Interesting facts: Bobroczkyi is widely known for being 7 feet 7 inches tall, and he speaks several languages including Romanian, Hungarian, English, Serbian, and Italian.
Notable Works: Alien: Romulus.
Ember Ambrose as Young Mary
DOB: N/A.
Bio: A young American actress whose professional screen career is still in its early stages.
While publicly available biographical information remains limited, she has begun building a résumé through television and film appearances.
Role: Young Mary portrays a younger version of Mary, the therapist played by Renate Reinsve.
The character appears in flashbacks and memory-driven sequences that help explore Mary’s past experiences and emotional development.
Interesting facts: Public biographical information on Ambrose is still limited, but the film has already become her most visible feature credit.
Notable Works: High Potential, Monster.
Krista Kosonen as Nora
DOB: May 28, 1983.
Bio: Finnish actress from Espoo who has worked in film, television, and sketch comedy.
She is a two-time Jussi Award winner and one of Finland’s best-known screen performers, with an international profile that has grown steadily in recent years.
Role: Nora is part of the supporting ensemble, with the film keeping her precise function relatively compact.
The credit places her firmly in the wider cast around Clark’s journey, helping the world feel populated beyond the central therapist-patient arc.
Interesting facts: Kosonen won Jussi Awards for her performances in Finnish cinema and became internationally known through Beforeigners.
Notable Works: The Midwife, Beforeigners, Blade Runner 2049, Princess, Putous.
Philip Granger as Meterman
DOB: March 2, 1964.
Bio: Canadian actor, producer, and musician based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
With a career spanning several decades, he has become a familiar face in film and television, particularly in productions filmed in Western Canada.
Role: Meterman is one of the film’s smaller but very specific supporting roles, and the name suggests a local, ordinary-world character caught in the movie’s strange ecosystem.
Even in a brief part, that sort of role helps the Backrooms story feel more grounded before it gets surreal.
Interesting facts: Granger won a Gemini Award for Neon Rider and has a long history of working in Canadian productions shot in and around Vancouver.
Notable Works: Ghost Wars, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, The Order, Maid.
More Actors
• Katharine Isabelle as Robin.
• Peter New as Big Wayne.
• Sarah Hayward as Nurse.
• Natalie Moon as Phil’s Wife.
FAQ – Backrooms (2026) Movie
What is Backrooms (2026) about?
The film follows therapist Mary as she searches for her missing patient, Clark, who disappears into the mysterious Backrooms, an endless maze of strange yellow rooms where reality begins to break down.
Is the movie connected to Kane Parsons’ YouTube series?
Yes. The film is based on and expands the mythology established in Kane Parsons’ viral YouTube Backrooms videos.
What are the Backrooms in the movie?
The Backrooms are a mysterious alternate dimension made up of endless hallways, rooms, and liminal spaces that seem to reflect memories, fears, and distorted versions of reality.
What is the runtime of Backrooms?
The movie runs for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Conclusion
Backrooms (2026) successfully transforms a popular internet horror concept into a suspenseful and visually striking movie.
With strong performances, eerie locations, and a constant sense of mystery, the film delivers a unique horror experience that stands out from typical genre releases.
While some viewers may find parts of the story confusing, its atmosphere and creativity make it a memorable watch.
Fans of psychological horror and unsettling suspense will likely find Backrooms both frightening and fascinating.