Best Movies like Backrooms (2026)

When a mysterious doorway suddenly appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, Backrooms dives into the unsettling unknown with a blend of horror, mystery, and science fiction. If you’re drawn to films where ordinary spaces become gateways to something eerie and unexplained, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. The movies in this list share that fascination with bizarre portals, creeping tension, and the thrill of venturing into the unexpected. Ready to explore more strange thresholds? Keep reading.

Cube

Don't look for a reason... Look for a way out.
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 30m
Release date: 11th July 1998
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

Cube places characters in a mysterious, ever-shifting structure filled with danger, mirroring Backrooms' focus on unexplained architectural spaces and the existential threats that come with being trapped in a labyrinthine environment.

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a maze-like prison. It soon becomes clear that each of them possesses the peculiar skills necessary to escape, if they don't wind up dead first. Cube is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 30m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 6.8 by 5,314 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,969,065 in the box office.

Coherence

Rearrange your brain.
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 29m
Release date: 6th April 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.2/10)

Coherence explores reality-bending mysteries rooted in science fiction, much like Backrooms. Both films place ordinary people in extraordinary scenarios that challenge perceptions and provoke questions about the nature of reality.

Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead. Coherence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.2 by 3,515 people. The movie made an estimated total of $139,745 in the box office.

The Endless

Time is a prison.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 52m
Release date: 5th November 2017
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.3/10)

The Endless delves into science fiction and supernatural mystery involving strange, unexplained phenomena, similar to Backrooms’ narrative of a mysterious portal and the uncertainty of what lies beyond.

Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group's beliefs may be more sane than they once thought. The Endless is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,328 people. The movie made an estimated total of $956,425 in the box office.

Annihilation

Fear what's inside.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 55m
Release date: 22nd February 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

Annihilation weaves horror and science fiction together through an incursion into an unfamiliar, shifting environment. Both films place protagonists in spaces with altered logic, presenting a challenge to their understanding of the world.

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply. Annihilation is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.4 by 9,493 people. The movie made an estimated total of $43,070,915 in the box office.

Enemy

You can't escape yourself.
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 31m
Release date: 14th March 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

Enemy examines doppelgängers and unsettling mysteries, paralleling Backrooms in its use of the unknown and reality distortion to propel psychological horror, drawing viewers into ambiguous spaces where meaning unravels.

A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs. Enemy is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 31m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.8 by 6,524 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,396,726 in the box office.

The Mist

Fear changes everything.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 6m
Release date: 21st November 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.0/10)

The Mist engulfs characters in an ordinary setting suddenly transformed by an otherworldly threat, echoing Backrooms where the familiar is subverted by a baffling, dangerous anomaly.

After a violent storm, a dense cloud of mist envelops a small Maine town, trapping David Drayton and his five-year-old son in a local grocery store with other local residents. They soon discover that the mist conceals deadly horrors that threaten their lives, and worse, their sanity. The Mist is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 6m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.0 by 5,976 people. The movie made an estimated total of $57,470,220 in the box office.

The Platform

There are 3 kinds of people; the ones above, the ones below, and the ones who fall.
Streaming on:
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 1h 35m
Release date: 8th November 2019
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.0/10)

The Platform immerses its cast in a claustrophobic, vertigo-inducing architectural structure with layers of mystery, echoing Backrooms' central motif of a space that seems to go on endlessly and unpredictably.

A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. The residents above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent. The Platform is a movie from Spain in Spanish, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 7.0 by 7,919 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,090,116 in the box office.

The Cellar

An ancient evil has awoken.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Country: Ireland
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 34m
Release date: 25th March 2022
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.5/10)

The Cellar introduces horror through the sudden appearance of mysterious areas within a domestic space, closely paralleling Backrooms’ premise of a strange doorway opening in an unassuming location.

When Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country, she soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever. The Cellar is a movie from Ireland in English, with a total 1h 34m runtime, released in 2022 with an average rating of 6.5 by 510 people.

Triangle

Terror comes in waves.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 39m
Release date: 16th October 2009
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.9/10)

Triangle crafts its suspense from characters trapped in a looping, enigmatic environment, aligning with Backrooms in the use of labyrinthine spaces and surreal experiences that challenge the protagonists’ sense of reality.

When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong. Triangle is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 6.9 by 3,070 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,594,955 in the box office.

Escape Room

Find the clues or die.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 39m
Release date: 3rd January 2019
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.5/10)

Escape Room brings tension by placing characters in confined, puzzle-filled spaces where the rules are unknown, similar to Backrooms’ interplay between space, uncertainty, and survival in an unfamiliar architectural setting.

Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive. Escape Room is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.5 by 5,117 people. The movie made an estimated total of $155,712,077 in the box office.

The Maze Runner

Get ready to run.
Streaming on:
Genre: Action, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 53m
Release date: 10th September 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.2/10)

The Maze Runner pits characters against the dangers of a constantly shifting maze, drawing clear parallels to Backrooms’ theme of spatial uncertainty and the struggle to comprehend and navigate a strange environment.

A teenager with no memory of his past finds himself among a group of boys living in a walled enclosure surrounded by a massive, ever-changing maze. As he struggles to adapt to their rules and society, he begins to uncover clues that may lead to escape and the truth behind their confinement. The Maze Runner is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.2 by 18,308 people. The movie made an estimated total of $348,319,861 in the box office.

The Back Room

Genre:
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 16m
Release date: 8th June 2008
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (1.0/10)

The Back Room, by title association with Backrooms, suggests a focus on hidden or unexplored architectural spaces, resonating with the central concept of discovering and confronting the unknown within familiar places.

Two strangers uncover astonishing connections as they search for a mysterious Renaissance painting. The Back Room is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 16m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 1.0 by 2 people.

Vivarium

You're home. Forever.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Horror
Country: Belgium
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 39m
Release date: 7th September 2019
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.1/10)

Vivarium explores the unsettling nature of mundane locations transformed by forces beyond understanding. Like Backrooms, it uses familiar, everyday architecture as the site of otherworldly mystery and existential crisis.

A young woman and her fiancé are in search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a maze of identical houses and forced to raise an otherworldly child. Vivarium is a movie from Belgium in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.1 by 2,647 people. The movie made an estimated total of $488,000 in the box office.

The Midnight Meat Train

The most terrifying ride you'll ever take
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Fantasy
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 43m
Release date: 7th August 2008
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.2/10)

The Midnight Meat Train moves horror into the depths of urban transit and hidden infrastructure, akin to Backrooms’ premise of discovering a sinister, secret space below a surface-level environment.

A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways. The Midnight Meat Train is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 6.2 by 1,286 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,533,227 in the box office.

In the Mouth of Madness

Lived any good books lately?
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Drama, Thriller, Fantasy
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 35m
Release date: 3rd February 1995
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.2/10)

In the Mouth of Madness melds horror and the surreal within the boundaries of normalcy disrupted, comparable to Backrooms’ sudden intrusion of the abnormal through a simple, unexplained basement doorway.

An insurance investigator visits a small town while looking into the strange disappearance of a popular horror novelist. He soon finds that the impact of the author’s books is far more than inspirational. In the Mouth of Madness is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.2 by 1,955 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,946,600 in the box office.

Session 9

Fear is a place.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 40m
Release date: 10th August 2001
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.1/10)

Session 9 uncovers horror in the neglected corners of an abandoned building, linking to Backrooms’ emphasis on hidden, liminal spaces where unknown dangers may lurk.

Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back. Session 9 is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 6.1 by 1,050 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,612,259 in the box office.

Noroi: The Curse

Everything is real, everybody died.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1h 55m
Release date: 20th August 2005
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.9/10)

Noroi: The Curse uses a mysterious unfolding narrative and supernatural investigation, aligning with Backrooms’ combination of horror and the unexplained that emerges from unexpected places.

A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon. Noroi: The Curse is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 6.9 by 443 people.

The Invitation

There is nothing to be afraid of.
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 40m
Release date: 8th April 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

The Invitation brings characters together in a domestic setting where a sense of safety unravels, similar to how Backrooms introduces disquiet by disrupting a familiar space with an unforeseen anomaly.

Will and his new girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner with old friends at the house of Will’s ex Eden and her new partner David. Although the evening appears to be relaxed, Will soon gets a creeping suspicion that their charming host David is up to something. The Invitation is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 6.4 by 2,911 people. The movie made an estimated total of $354,835 in the box office.

The Beyond

Beyond death...Beyond Evil...Beyond the dreaded gates of hell.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror
Country: Italy
Language: Italian
Runtime: 1h 28m
Release date: 22nd April 1981
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.9/10)

The Beyond features a gateway to unknown realms opening within everyday surroundings, strongly reflecting Backrooms’ central idea of a mysterious portal discovered in the ordinary world.

New Yorker Liza Merril inherits an old hotel in Louisiana and invests her savings to reopen the place, unaware that the hotel houses the body of a dead painter murdered decades earlier, and that the location is about to become a gateway to Hell. The Beyond is a movie from Italy in Italian, with a total 1h 28m runtime, released in 1981 with an average rating of 6.9 by 682 people. The movie made an estimated total of $123,843 in the box office.

Event Horizon

Infinite space. Infinite terror.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 36m
Release date: 15th August 1997
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.6/10)

Event Horizon takes the horror of stepping into the unknown through a physical passage—here, aboard a spacecraft—paralleling Backrooms’ exploration of what might await those who cross a newly appeared doorway.

In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship Event Horizon which disappeared mysteriously seven years before on its maiden voyage. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors. Event Horizon is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 36m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 6.6 by 3,392 people. The movie made an estimated total of $26,700,000 in the box office.

The Descent

Scream your last breath.
Streaming on:
Genre: Adventure, Horror
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 40m
Release date: 8th July 2005
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.0/10)

The Descent centers on venturing into an underground space with unpredictable threats, resonating with Backrooms’ idea of danger and discovery lurking beneath the surface-level environment.

After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other. The Descent is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 7.0 by 4,502 people. The movie made an estimated total of $57,130,027 in the box office.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Experience the horror.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Runtime: 1h 35m
Release date: 28th March 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.3/10)

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum delves into fear by exploring abandoned, maze-like interiors plagued by unexplained events, akin to Backrooms’ use of hidden, strange architectural spaces as sources of terror.

The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast, but they encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.3 by 974 people. The movie made an estimated total of $21,041,950 in the box office.

1408

The Dolphin Hotel invites you to stay in any of its stunning rooms. Except one.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 44m
Release date: 22nd June 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.7/10)

1408 explores supernatural horror emerging from a single, ordinary room that becomes a site of psychological torment, closely connected to Backrooms’ notion of the extraordinary lurking within seemingly safe interiors.

A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror. 1408 is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.7 by 4,986 people. The movie made an estimated total of $133,000,000 in the box office.

The Corridor

Enter At Your Own Risk
Streaming on:
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 39m
Release date: 30th March 2012
Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (4.8/10)

The Corridor brings friends into contact with a mysterious force in a secluded location. Its focus on an unexplained phenomenon transforming a recognizable environment echoes the premise at the core of Backrooms.

Friends on a weekend excursion take a path into a forest that leads to death and destruction. The Corridor is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 4.8 by 48 people.

Timecrimes

A trip back in time from the present to...
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 1h 32m
Release date: 1st November 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.0/10)

Timecrimes combines an ordinary location with mind-bending science fiction elements, much like the blurring of reality and logic suggested by Backrooms’ strange portal and its unfathomable destination.

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences. Timecrimes is a movie from Spain in Spanish, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.0 by 1,497 people. The movie made an estimated total of $553,198 in the box office.

Resolution

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Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 33m
Release date: 25th January 2013
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.3/10)

Resolution uses a remote setting to unearth unsettling mysteries, sharing with Backrooms its juxtaposition of isolation, unanswered questions, and a growing sense that something inexplicable is at play.

A man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin in the boonies of San Diego to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated. Resolution is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.3 by 475 people.

The Void

There is a Hell. This is worse.
Streaming on:
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Science Fiction
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 30m
Release date: 22nd September 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.0/10)

The Void features characters trapped in a building as they experience supernatural events beyond their comprehension, closely echoing Backrooms’ themes of confinement, hidden threats, and doors to other realities.

In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman. As the horror intensifies, Carter leads the other survivors on a hellish voyage into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to end the nightmare before it's too late. The Void is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 30m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 6.0 by 1,466 people. The movie made an estimated total of $151,042 in the box office.

As Above, So Below

The only way out is down.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 33m
Release date: 14th August 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

As Above, So Below features characters investigating a hidden world beneath a city, paralleling Backrooms’ descent into unknown spaces and the terror that emerges from what lies beneath familiar environments.

When a team of explorers venture into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. As Above, So Below is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.8 by 3,922 people. The movie made an estimated total of $41,898,409 in the box office.

Walking the Labyrinth

Genre: Documentary
Country: Ireland
Language: English
Runtime:
Release date: 18th May 2023
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/10)

Walking the Labyrinth suggests a narrative of exploration and confusion inside complicated or shifting architectural forms, resonant with Backrooms’ premise of navigating an endless, inexplicable space.

Walking the Labyrinth is a powerful documentary that takes the viewer on a journey of self­ discovery with Susan. A survivor of Bessborough Mother and Baby Home, Susan discusses the lasting effects that institutionalized systems have on those who have been touched by them. She shares her personal experience of being adopted at two weeks old and how the adoption system in Ireland is designed to remove all agency from the adopted person, including the ability to discover any other family members. Walking the Labyrinth is a movie from Ireland in English, with a total runtime, released in 2023 with an average rating of 0.0 by 0 people.

Stay

Between the worlds of the living and the dead there is a place you're not supposed to stay.
Streaming on:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 39m
Release date: 24th September 2005
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.6/10)

Stay investigates shifting perceptions of reality and unsettling mysteries within the backdrop of ordinary life, a thematic link with Backrooms’ transformation of a routine setting by supernatural intrusion.

Psychiatrist Sam Foster has a new patient, Henry Letham, who claims to be suicidal. In trying to diagnose him, Sam visits Henry's prior therapist and also finds Henry's mother -- even though Henry has said that he murdered both of his parents. As reality starts to contradict fact, Sam spirals into an unstable mental state. Then he finds a clue as to how and when Henry may try to kill himself, and races to try to stop him. Stay is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 6.6 by 1,548 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,342,132 in the box office.

House of Leaves

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Documentary
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 3h 23m
Release date: 27th March 2026
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/10)

House of Leaves shares a core idea with Backrooms: a seemingly normal structure upended by discovery of impossible, ever-expanding architecture. Both works use spatial anomaly as the source of their horror and intrigue.

The story of the Navidson Record and House of Leaves. From impossible corridors to monsters lurking in the darkness, the maze of the house will lead us into an abyss few ever make it back from. House of Leaves is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 3h 23m runtime, released in 2026 with an average rating of 0.0 by 0 people.

Fans of Backrooms will find these films share its unsettling atmosphere and blend of horror with mysterious, otherworldly settings. Each offers a unique take on reality-bending spaces and the tension of the unknown.

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