Critics Weigh In on A24's 'Backrooms' Horror Adaptation as It Hits Theaters

A24's long-awaited 'Backrooms' adaptation has arrived in theaters nationwide as of Friday, May 29, bringing the viral horror phenomenon to the big screen.

Director Kane Parsons brings his internet-famous YouTube series to cinemas with a feature that centers on a peculiar doorway discovered in a furniture showroom's basement—one that opens into a bewildering, seemingly infinite labyrinth of interconnected rooms. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve anchor the cast, with Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell rounding out the ensemble.

The film draws from Parsons' original Backrooms series, which captivated online audiences with its unsettling exploration of liminal space horror.

Early critical reception has been largely favorable. The film currently sits at an 88% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, paired with a 72% audience score.

Polygon delivered enthusiastic praise, awarding a perfect score and calling the film "deeply unnerving" and "haunting, leaving behind lingering shivers and ongoing anxieties," adding that it delivers "smart, 'elevated' horror for the tired-of-slashers crowd, but it has plenty of slasher shocks as well."

Bloody Disgusting awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars, noting that while "the journey ultimately loses steam by its cryptic end, Parsons' visual representation of the human psyche disturbs like no other."

The LA Times offered a distinctive take, suggesting the film transcends traditional genre classification: "Describing Backrooms as a horror film doesn't feel exactly right. It's a surrealist painting in motion, the equivalent of staring at Salvador Dali's wasteland of melting clocks until it makes gut-sense."

The New York Times highlighted the film's atmospheric approach, observing that "ambiguity is key to this style of horror, where space and atmosphere do most of the heavy lifting, and though the story isn't over-explained, mind you, it's filled out enough to break its own uncanny spell."

The London Evening Standard gave four out of five stars, commending Ejiofor's performance as "absolutely brilliant" while suggesting that Reinsve—known for her work in 'Sentimental Value' and 'The Worst Person in the World'—"seems a touch miscast," noting that "pretty much any B-list US horror star could have slotted into her role."

TheWrap offered a more measured perspective, suggesting that the film's narrative ambitions work against it: "If this movie was nothing but a sightseeing tour of disquieting office buildings Parsons probably could have gotten away with it. But the more Backrooms tries to have a point, the more pointless it feels."

The Irish Times gave 4.5 out of 5, positioning the film as a success story within the creepypasta adaptation space: "[Backrooms] succeeds where other creepypasta adaptations (take a bow, Slender Man) have dismally failed and requires no prior knowledge of its storied history."

The Daily Telegraph awarded a perfect five stars, praising the film's restraint and craftsmanship: "Backrooms could have taken any number of sabotaging turns, or undercut itself with effects (excess gore, say) that aren't needed. Instead it builds with clear logic, solid acting, and doesn't skimp on being suggestive."

The Australian also gave four out of five, positioning the work as emblematic of emerging filmmaking trends: "It feels like cinema's future. Leaner, tighter filmmaking, saturated in web-lore rather than cinema-lore. The revolution has begun and Backrooms, together with Obsession, are at the vanguard."

Inverse highlighted Parsons' directorial eye, noting that "his placement of the horizon in a series of striking establishing shots proves all by itself that he has talent as a director."

The achievement carries particular weight given Parsons' age—he was just 19 when he directed the feature. Some internet speculation has questioned his involvement behind the camera, but fellow cast member Mark Duplass has stepped in to defend the young filmmaker.