In recent years, horror films have experienced a strange evolution at the box office. Typically accented by jump scares, gore, or the usual pop culture zeitgeist, the horror genre continues doing what they’ve always done: represent current topics or fears. In the 70s and 80s, serial murderers were the talk of the town and out of that was born the slasher genre that dominated theaters for well over a decade. Now, however, horror films have continued to display their social intellect by representing newer anxieties such as unregulated technological advancements with films like Megan or generational trauma and grief with movies like Smile or Hereditary.
This year, horror has continued to shift with mega hits that outperform giants in the entertainment industry like Star Wars on nearly a fraction of the budget. At the end of the day, this is a clear representation of audiences’ fatigue with continuous manufactured IP exploited over several sequels and the desire to discover something fresh, new, and relatable. Obsession, helmed by internet-personality-turned-director Curry Barker, zeroed in on a few simple concepts that proved to be truly frightening when coupled with disturbing imagery. These themes include codependency and the loss of personal choice resulting in a seemingly suffocating nightmare that one person can inflict upon another. It’s a simple basis with a meager budget that raked in mountains of change at the box office. The other horror film that managed to see a high return on a smaller budget (though, not quite as small as Obsession) is the A24 film Backrooms, and it will be making another splash in the streaming sphere this month.
Backrooms is finally going to be available to stream this month
When and where you can watch Backrooms
Those who missed Backrooms’ theatrical run will now have the opportunity to experience the horror of liminal spaces on a streaming service beyond the video on demand model. The film will join HBO Max’s catalog on September 25th just in time for the Halloween season to kick off. So, if you’re jonesin’ for scary flicks this Halloween season, HBO Max will be a great place to start. If you don’t have an HBO Max subscription, you can grab one for the minimum price of $10.99/month (with ads). Of course, you can upgrade this basic tier to remove ads and add benefits such as 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos, live sports, and more devices.
The best deal around when it comes to HBO Max is to bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu for $19.99/month. These three services will offer you a wealth of content for a much better price than if you acquired them separately. And if you want to keep the horror themes going this spooky season, Hulu typically features an entire “Huluween” section during the month of October.
Why should you check out Backrooms?
Imagine an endless world devoid of humanity
The movie is actually based on Kane Parson’s YouTube series that originated as a creepypasta internet legend. The concept involves liminal spaces beyond our own world. Essentially, envision finding an entrance to a maze-like world filled with empty office spaces that are eerie and unsettling. In your enthusiasm for discovery, you explore only to find that you are lost. This disturbing and lonely world is stalked by unseen forces that hunt those who find themselves trapped within its walls. Without spoiling key details, that’s essentially the concept at play in Backrooms.
While Backrooms doesn’t rely on jump scares, it cultivates dread and anxiety throughout its runtime. It exploits fears of isolation and the unknown or unseen to masterful effect. Ultimately, the film is less about startling you with abrupt and jump-inducing sequences and more about making you fear what is waiting for the main characters just around the next corner.
On HBO Max, there is plenty more in the horror genre to enjoy
If you’re on a horror kick this season, HBO Max is a good place to be
If you’re new to HBO Max, don’t simply subscribe just for Backrooms. There are plenty of options available for the horror enthusiast on the platform. For starters, there is plenty of Stephen King’s frightening clown creation with It, It: Part Two, and the IT: Welcome to Derry series. Except for the latest theatrical entry Evil Dead Burn, the rest of the Evil Dead franchise is among HBO Max’s horror catalog. Other heavy hitters on this service include entries in The Conjuring series of films, The Blair Witch Project, Hereditary, Insidious, and many more. Don’t stop the goosebumps with Backrooms. HBO Max might be a great investment for the Halloween season if you’re looking for scares.
Backrooms
- Release Date
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May 27, 2026
- Runtime
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110 minutes
- Director
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Kane Parsons
- Writers
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Will Soodik
