Horror movie The Backrooms: missing patient with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve – plot

The Backrooms, the plot: the patient who disappeared into the disturbing dimension

The Backrooms is the horror movie in production. The plot focuses on a patient who disappears into a strange dimension beyond reality: the therapist is forced to confront the unknown to bring him back to reality.

Trailer for The Backrooms: first details from the horror movie with Chiwetel Ejiofor

“I found something. In the store” says Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) on the phone in the released trailer. “What did you find” responds the psychologist (Renate Reinsve). “I found a place” he replies. Then Clark finds himself in a yellow room.

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you” explains the psychologist during a session, in which Clark brings a map of the place. Then he brings videos, and eventually the psychologist too - crossing through - finds herself in that place. In the final scene she tries to escape.

The Backrooms, the cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass

Chiwetel Ejiofor is the star of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and 12 Years a Slave. Renate Reinsve is the performer in Sentimental Value, for whose role she received an Oscar nomination: she acted in the series Presumed Innocent, and won the award for best actress at Cannes for The Worst Person in the World.

In the cast is Mark Duplass, who worked on Under the Lights and the TV series The Morning Show. With him is also Lukita Maxwell, already seen in episodes of Generation and Shrinking.

The direction is by Kane Parsons, who has already directed the web series The Backrooms and People Still Live Here. The screenplay is by Will Soodike and Roberto Patino, who wrote episodes of Westworld and Sons of Anarchy.

Origin of The Backrooms: from creepypasta to viral horror web series

The original short movie set in the '90s - web series titled The Backrooms (Found Footage) - and directed by Pearson himself tells the fall of a young director into another dimension, which leads him to wander in a yellow, empty and labyrinthine office, which may or may not host otherworldly beings. The title and setting of the movie draw inspiration from the imagery of a creepypasta published on the 4chan website in 2019: it is an Internet phenomenon derived from the practice of copypasta characterized by horror themes and subsequently spread on the Internet, through forums, social networks, dedicated sites.

The Backrooms (Found Footage), where to watch it streaming?

The original short movie The Backrooms (Found Footage) was published in 2024, and is presented as a recording from 1991, later found in 1996. It is available online on Youtube ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo ).

Production and shooting: the movie shot in Vancouver and the companies involved

The production is by A24, Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster and 21 Laps Entertainment. Shooting began in July 2025 in Vancouver with the working title of Effigy, and concluded in August 2025.

When The Backrooms comes out: release date and where to watch it

The movie comes out in the United States on May 29, 2026.