Movie Review Highlights Bundle (2026) #2

In this collection of review highlights, we’ll explore the year 2026 where a previously viral YouTube horror web series gets a theatrically released adaptation with more movie reviews to come. 

1. Backrooms

Rating: 8/10

Minor Positives:

-Sound Design 

1. Backrooms is one of those special few movies that effectively understands how to execute the concept of "less is more" by using a minimalistic sensibility with its sound design to focus on audience immersion over frequent bombastic jump scare cues. There's a high focus on building a consistent ambient soundscape of buzzing fluorescent overhead lights with empty space filling low frequency hums that successfully engulfs the viewer in its eerie setting. 

-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)

-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction

-Creative Visual Direction

Major Positives:

-Set Design

1. Endless feeling yellow lit rooms with eerie environmental imagery such as objects appearing in uncanny locations like a glitched out video game sets Backrooms up as a psychologically fascinating viewing experience. As a matter of fact, I may even go as far as saying that Backrooms is one of the most intriguing horror movies in the history of the genre exclusively in terms of its imaginative and well structured set designs that not only creates a constant sense of unease and mystery but also ties into the characters in a semi-thought provoking way. 

-World Building

1.The idea of this mysterious place of endless rooms creating elements from the real world through scattered memory is a fascinating idea. 

-Meeting Expectations

1. Backrooms feels like a really good season of Channel Zero with influences from the Twilight Zone and a little dash of the V/H/S horror anthology franchise all being condensed into a theatrically released movie. And before anyone gets the wrong idea, this is a major compliment as it’s always refreshing to see horror cinema venturing into refreshingly new and compelling territory that's worthy of sparking up conversations of intrigue and the imagination. It's not perhaps as scary as I'd hope, but tonally and directionally speaking, it pretty much hits most of the beats that I was expecting from the trailers. 

Minor Negatives:

-No Notably Scary or Creepy Scenes

-Lacking In Dramatic Impact

1. As much as I admire the character turn of making our lead character into an antagonistic figure due to mental decline in the backrooms, I'm not so sure that the movie gives enough time for this transition to feel weighted. I'm bringing to mind iconic films like The Shining when thinking about this concept being done really well and I think the ingredients are certainly here..on paper. The actual execution of Clark's twisted direction feels a little bit lacking due to the fact that we never actually get to see him gradually decline into madness to the point where he would literally kidnap his very own therapist. Instead, everything unfortunately takes place offscreen leaving us with a slightly abrupt feeling shift in his character.

We last saw Clark as this curious adventurous guy in need of consistent therapy regarding a previous relationship issue who is a bit too ambitious in his navigating of the backrooms. He eventually gets attacked by something tall while trying to save someone, and the next time we see him, he's practically lost his mind creating a fake family lunch scene with the fractured bodies found in the Backrooms. He attacks Mary tying her up and forces her to appeal to his fantasy and ego challenging Mary's psychiatric analyzation of him from earlier. Again, I quite like the idea of seeing one of our leading characters completely transform into something dangerous from being affected by this eerily empty feeling setting. Unfortunately, since everything psychologically and emotionally interesting happens offscreen for the most part, we're left to fill in the blanks that should've been filled by the movie. 

Major Negatives:

N/A