A New Psychological Maze Awaits: ‘Backrooms’ and Severance Compared
The world of science fiction television has been holding its breath for the return of Severance, Apple TV’s twisty and acclaimed exploration of identity, memory, and corporate power. As fans wait for season 3, a new contender has entered the fray to satisfy those cravings for intelligent, atmospheric thrillers. The recently released trailer for A24’s ‘Backrooms’ is creating serious buzz, and for good reason: it taps into the same vein of claustrophobic unease and philosophical tension that Severance delivers so well.
Backrooms: A Descent Into Liminal Horror
‘Backrooms’ begins with a premise seasoned genre fans will recognize: a therapist confounded by the disappearance of her patient and drawn into a shifting, labyrinthine space that warps reality as one enters. The new film promises to be more than just a conventional horror ride—it’s a plunge into the mysterious, borrowing inspiration from modern classics like Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, which famously turns domestic architecture into a nightmare of infinite corridors.
What sets ‘Backrooms’ apart, and makes its arrival so timely, is how it leverages the viral mythology of its internet origins. The legend of the Backrooms began as a series of uncanny images on 4chan and quickly spiraled into an expansive online universe. These eerily familiar yet «off» locations—the office spaces with stale yellow carpeting, empty hallways, and humming fluorescent lights—became the perfect canvas for collaborative horror storytelling. It’s an evolution worth tracking for anyone intrigued by modern folklore and the digital age’s power to reimagine horror.
The Shared DNA: Severance and Backrooms
It’s no coincidence that comparisons between ‘Backrooms’ and Severance are already dominating online conversations. Both works share an obsession with liminal environments—the spaces in between, neither here nor there—turned unsettling by ambiguity. A Reddit AMA with Severance showrunner Dan Erickson even confirmed the Backrooms mythos as a direct influence, putting both titles firmly in the lineage of surreal tech-inflected horror that includes everything from The Matrix to The Incredibles.
Both Severance and ‘Backrooms’ boast strong casts, with ‘Backrooms’ enlisting the reliably intense Chiwetel Ejiofor and the ever-compelling Renate Reinsve. Look for a series of mind-bending, psychologically fraught performances to anchor their journeys through uncanny realities.
Horror With a Different Pulse
Still, it’s important not to expect a simple rehash of Severance, even if ‘Backrooms’ shares some of its DNA. Where Severance plays its cards with stylish restraint, delving into corporate satire and sci-fi mystery, A24’s new film appears poised to dive headlong into outright horror. The hallway nightmares glimpsed in the trailer suggest the presence of supernatural phenomena and creatures drawn from the most chilling corners of the creepypasta’s lore. If Severance dissected the psychological horror of the workplace, ‘Backrooms’ looks set to unleash the surreal terrors lurking in our perception of space and reality itself.
For Fans of Modern Tech-Horror and Streaming Puzzles
For those who relish stories that blur the lines between technology, paranoia, and the fabric of everyday life, ‘Backrooms’ is shaping up to be a must-see. The combination of A24’s genre expertise and emerging director Kane Parsons’s cinematic eye offers hope for a film as narratively rich as it is visually unsettling.
Until Severance returns, ‘Backrooms’ is poised to immerse audiences in a fresh labyrinth of fear and fascination. Keep an eye on this title—both for its horror thrills and its unique place in today’s cultural conversation around science fiction, reality-bending narratives, and the evolving vocabulary of streaming originals.
