Backrooms
May 29, 2026 by admin_name
Backrooms
released 2026
www.ink2quill.com
“Backrooms” is an American, Scifi, Horror, Psychological thriller film produced by Kori Adelson, Jordan Barber, Guiliana Bertuzzi, Peter Chernin, Michael Clear, Dan Cohen, Jenni DePiero, Grant Donghia, Chris Ferguson, Alayna Glasthal, Andy Levine, Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, Jesse Savath, Judson Scott, Chris White, James Wan, Jenno Topping, Osgood Perkins, Roberto Patino, Kane Parsons, Marlaina Mah and directed by Kane Parsons also wrote the screenplay with Will Soodik. It stars the great Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, Avan Jogia, Robert Bobroczkyi, Ember Ambrose, Krista Kosonen, Philip Granger, Katharine Isabelle, Peter New, Sarah Hayward, Natalie Moon, Calix Fraser, Sawyer Fraser, Patrick Baynham, Rhiannon Roberts, Dana Mahmood, Matthew Patrick Savage, Ramona Kim, Milana Wan, Kelly Craig and Mel Kostas. This is a film based on the very popular TV series “Severance”. Another great and strange story.
“Backrooms” is the story of Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is a lonely man damaged by the injustices in his life and so seeks refuge in alcohol. He pushes people and relationships away and is alone as a result. His defense mechanisms to protect himself worked too well and left him a lonely man whose only meaningful relationship is with the bottle. This is a man who has given up on people and that is sad to see. I don’t like his behavior and the way he probably treated his ex-wife but I still find myself rooting for him. He pushes his wife out of his life to make room for the bottle. The only thing that doesn’t disappoint him. So sad. Clark sees a psychiatrist Mary, played by Renate Reinsve, who does not seem to be able to help a stubborn Clark. He is ultimately a man who spurns help just like her. They really are two peas in a pod, so to speak. Things change for Clark when he discovers a doorway to, what can best be described as, an in-between dimension of space. This in-between space looks like a maze of rooms some with yellow but gloomy wall paper and others with rooms that are just strange and looked unfinished like out of the mind of someone dreaming. As it turns out the people inside this in-between dimension of mazes can affect the changing rooms and even create creatures that come out of the imagination. Clark is one of the people who enter and even explore this dimension with strange results that follow.
One of the things I really liked about this film was that, just when you thought you had things figured out, the rug was pulled from underneath you and the story took an unexpected turn. You didn’t know Sh*t. Watching Clark explore this dimension in spite of the dangers is a scarry thing to see. He kept going when I would have run for the exit. He even maps some of the place. By the end of the story the reason for his curiosity becomes clear. I mean he just goes into strange room after strange room knowing that danger lurked somewhere inside this dimension. I saw this in the theater and we were all like: What are you doing man? But like I said his attraction to this place becomes clear as the story develops.
One thing I did not like was how reckless Clark was with other people’s lives. What happened to his 2 assistants/ employees is messed up. They never really stood a chance to get away from the in-between dimension or more importantly get away from him. If you understand that Clark is an alcoholic and all that his condition entails (in his case) then you would see where things would be headed for the people around him. He is a kind of rat in a maze unhealthily driven to get to the end ignoring the costs and what happens to others. Remember he has written off people and relationships in his life.
Enough on Clark. What makes this great Scif? Well, when we left the theater they asked us to do a survey. One of the questions was if we would want to see a sequel. I told them ‘yes’ if the writing was good. It’s all in the writing. If you fall into the trap that so many great Scifi series fall into of recycling stories and ideas to death then that is a recipe for failure. I mean, how many Scifi stories will not let the time travel theme go? Think of the “Star Trek” series. One of the best in all of human history. They need to let time travel alone already. “Backrooms” runs the risk of falling into this ‘Scifi trap’. I hope it does not. So far they’ve managed to avoid any of that corniness in this film though.
Like I said above, This film is a continuation of the TV series “Severance” and the story in this film is fresh.
I highly recommend “Backrooms”. It’s a breath of fresh air in a Scifi genre that is turning stale fast. I loved this film.
John Ink2Quill
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