If You Loved 'Backrooms', Don't Sleep On This 2026 Existential Horror Film

Backrooms (2026) is one of the biggest hits of 2026, a massively successful addition to the indie horror space that turned an internet meme into pure nightmare fuel. Beyond the mystery of the halls and the things that dwell within them, Backrooms is so effective because of the tonal control the filmmakers exhibit. With a stark set and a little bit of patient direction, the potentially drab environment gives way to immaculate tension, existential dread, and layered human horror.

It’s honestly very similar to another 2026 horror movie, It Ends. Focusing on a group of friends driving on a forest road that suddenly refuses to end, the film plays with many of the same emotions and tones as Backrooms, even if the dangers and morals are completely different. Given those key similarities but distinct elements, It Ends is a perfect movie to watch after Backrooms.

'It Ends' Has A Lowkey Vibe That Matches 'Backrooms' 

It Ends is a quietly bleak indie horror film that plays with the same grim tropes that power Backrooms. Both movies are relatively low-key in their approach to horror and tension, preferring a slow-burn approach to the more visceral versions of scary movies. In both stories, there’s a sense of quiet exploration baked into the premise as the characters make their way through a benign but supernatural space. While the endless halls of the Backrooms hide all sorts of terrifying things, the forests of It Ends are filled with silent figures who spring to life and try to steal a car whenever it stops on the forever road.

Both movies play with similar tonal approaches, making the somewhat regular and potentially even dull surroundings all the more dread-inducing. It blends together to help create the illusion that the characters (and by extension the audience) are caught in a forever trap that exists outside the typical linear world. It’s an inherently creepy vibe that feels even scarier thanks to the little realistic touches that keep it from feeling too disconnected, even as characters go years without eating or discover twisted duplicates of themselves.

Existential Dread Is Key To 'Backrooms' And 'It Ends' 

Beyond the visual approach to seemingly endless horror, It Ends and Backrooms share a blunt existential crisis for their characters. In It Ends, the dawning horror that they may be on the road for the rest of time sees the main characters question everything they know and try to figure out a means of escaping the endless road. However, even when they seem to make progress, the continuing nature of the trap eventually leaves many of them giving up. 

Backrooms creates a similar eternal setting, which serves as the primary horror of the story. The halls can go on forever, with no clear indicator of what is waiting behind any corner or in every darkness. It leaves the characters and audience on edge, especially as the film progresses and some of those dangers rear their ugly heads. The result is a sense of always being on edge, especially as you go further and wait for something to happen. Similar to It Ends, both movies make those pauses and silences the scariest part of the movie.

'It Ends' Hides A Quietly Terrific Character Drama

The thing that makes It Ends and Backrooms especially compelling is the way both stories end up being far more engaging as character studies than pure horror stories. Backrooms is a meditation on how we can become our own worst enemies, with Clark's mental deterioration just as unsettling as the towering duplicate of himself. That internal introspection is also key to It Ends, where the growing desperation and depression of the main characters steadily pick off the group with more haunting efficiency than any chainsaw-wielding killer. 

There's a realistic touch to these turns that undercuts all the supernatural mystery and purposeful ambiguity of the stories. These are real kinds of people giving in to real kinds of pain, leaving them husks of their former selves. The characters have layers of dysfunction and desire, which can either push the survivors through or condemn the others. It also makes the two movies an ideal pairing, the ultimate example of how horror has become existential, ambitious, and bleak in 2026.