Backrooms: Is This AI's First True Horror Masterpiece?

The Uncanny Valley of AI

Forget killer robots and sentient supercomputers. The real horror of artificial intelligence, according to the buzzy new A24 film Backrooms, might be far more insidious and unsettling. Directed by the remarkably young Kane Parsons, this feature-length adaptation of his viral web series dives headfirst into the unsettling territory of liminal spaces and the uncanny, presenting a vision of inhumanity that feels both alien and disturbingly familiar. The film centers on Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a furniture salesman whose mundane world cracks open when he stumbles into a reality beyond our own – an endless, nonsensical labyrinth.

Instead of relying on traditional monsters, Backrooms builds its terror through a pervasive sense of wrongness. Imagine fluorescent lights casting an unnatural glow on corkboard walls, hallways that twist in impossible directions, and faces that defy human symmetry. This is the dread Parsons excels at: the familiar made strange, the banal twisted into the nightmarish. It’s a world that feels off, a space where the rules of reality have been subtly rewritten, mirroring the way AI can process and present information in ways that are technically correct but fundamentally alien to human experience.

A World Without Us

At its core, Backrooms explores the profound horror of a world devoid of human connection and the struggle to maintain one's identity within that void. As Clark navigates these disorienting spaces, often accompanied by his therapist Mary (played by Renate Reinsve), the film highlights the fragility of selfhood when confronted with the utterly inhuman. This tension between the disorienting strangeness of the environment and the desperate human drive for normalcy and connection is what elevates Backrooms beyond a typical genre flick. It taps into a primal fear of being lost, not just physically, but existentially, in a landscape that doesn’t acknowledge your presence or your humanity. It’s a potent metaphor for our increasing interactions with AI, which can often feel like navigating a sophisticated, yet ultimately soulless, construct.

The AI Era's First Scream

Backrooms is already being hailed by critics as the first true horror film of the AI era, a title it seems to wear with unsettling grace. It captures the uncanny inhumanity of artificial intelligence with a chilling effectiveness that movies explicitly about AI have often struggled to achieve. By focusing on the psychological and existential dread that arises from encountering the alien and the incomprehensible, Parsons has created something truly resonant for our times. The film’s premiere in May 2026 has sparked considerable debate, positioning it as a must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, horror, and the future of storytelling.

What's Next

With its critical acclaim and growing buzz, Backrooms is poised to become a significant talking point in cinematic discussions. Fans are eager to dissect its themes and explore the unsettling world Kane Parsons has brought to life. Keep an eye out for wider release details and potential future projects from this visionary young director.