10 Movies Every ‘Backrooms’ Fan Should Watch
'Vivarium' (2019)
If the endless, unsettling spaces of backrooms fascinate you, 'Vivarium' is a must-watch. The film follows a young couple who visit a suburban housing development and soon realize they cannot leave. Every house looks exactly the same, which turns a familiar neighborhood into a terrifying maze. Much like 'Backrooms', the horror comes from being trapped in a place that feels normal at first but slowly reveals itself as something deeply wrong.
Without Name (2016)
'Without Name' delivers a slow-burning psychological horror experience that shares many qualities with 'Backrooms.' The story follows a land surveyor who enters a remote Irish forest to map the area, only to find reality slowly slipping away around him. The forest becomes an endless maze where time, direction, and logic no longer seem reliable. Once again, the setting itself becomes the source of fear.
'The Endless' (2017)
'The Endless' explores a different kind of trap but captures the same feeling of being unable to escape. The story follows two brothers who return to a mysterious cult and discover that the area is controlled by a strange force that keeps people stuck in endless cycles. While 'Backrooms' focuses on infinite hallways and impossible spaces, this one deals with repeating time loops and cosmic horror.
'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' (2020)
This psychological thriller creates the same unsettling atmosphere that makes 'Backrooms' so memorable. The story follows a young woman on a road trip that gradually turns into a surreal and disorienting experience. Familiar places begin to feel strange, while time and memory seem to break down. Here also, the film uses empty locations, dreamlike logic, and a growing sense of confusion to create tension.
'Us' (2019)
Jordan Peele’s 'Us' is not a 'Backrooms'-style story, but it shares several elements that fans of liminal horror often enjoy. The film is about a family confronted by terrifying doubles of themselves who emerge from a hidden underground world. Its abandoned tunnels, sterile corridors, and eerie atmosphere create a strong sense of unease. While 'Backrooms' centers on endless empty spaces, 'Us' focuses more on identity, fear, and hidden realities.
'Being John Malkovich' (1999)
Initially, this surreal comedy may seem very different from 'Backrooms', but the two share a surprisingly similar sense of weirdness. The story begins in a cramped office building where employees discover a secret portal into actor John Malkovich’s mind. It turns ordinary locations into gateways to impossible realities. The film thrives on bizarre concepts, claustrophobic settings, and situations that make little logical sense but feel strangely believable.
'Beyond the Black Rainbow' (2010)
Fans of the visual style of 'Backrooms' will appreciate 'Beyond the Black Rainbow'. Set inside a mysterious research facility, the film features endless corridors, sterile rooms, and a retro-futuristic design that feels detached from reality. The story follows a young woman trying to escape a sinister institution, but the plot often takes a back seat to atmosphere and mood. Much like 'Backrooms', the environment itself becomes the source of horror.
'The Signal' (2014)
'The Signal' combines science fiction and psychological horror in a way that will feel familiar to 'Backrooms' fans. The story follows three college students who find themselves trapped in a mysterious facility after investigating a hacker. As they search for answers, reality becomes increasingly difficult to understand. The film features sterile hallways, empty rooms, and a growing sense of paranoia.
'The Shining' (1980)
'The Shining' is one of the best examples of liminal horror long before backrooms became popular. Set inside the remote Overlook Hotel, the film turns empty hallways, massive rooms, and endless corridors into sources of fear. The setting feels like a trap, with the building itself seeming to have a mind of its own. The movie creates tension through isolation, strange architecture, and a growing sense that reality is slowly breaking apart.
'Sorry to Bother You' (2018)
Although primarily a dark comedy and social satire, 'Sorry to Bother You' shares backrooms’ love of surreal and unsettling worlds. The story follows a telemarketer whose career success leads him deeper into increasingly bizarre situations. Everyday locations begin to feel distorted and unreal as the film moves further into absurdity. Like 'Backrooms,' it creates discomfort by taking familiar environments and transforming them into something strange and nightmarish.
