Backrooms: 5 Similar Psychological Horror Movie Recommendations

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The film adaptation of the internet creepypasta, Backrooms, was released in early June and became a sensation among film fans. Directed by Kane Parsons and distributed by A24 Studio, the film successfully delivered psychological horror to audiences.

The concept of "Backrooms," depicting endless liminal spaces, often familiar yet strange corridors or empty rooms, has evoked existential horror, isolation, and a profound sense of dread. 

This phenomenon now finds echoes in a number of psychological horror films that successfully capture its essence, plunging audiences into a labyrinth of uncertainty and disorientation.

Directed by Kyle Edward Ball, the film follows four-year-old Kevin and six-year-old Kaylee.

They awaken in the middle of the night to find their father missing, while windows, doors, and other objects in their home gradually vanish.

Kevin injured himself in 1995, an incident Kaylee attributes to sleepwalking, before being taken to the hospital and returned home.

Trapped in a constantly shifting and confusing house, where gravity and spatial logic are distorted, the horror in Skinamarink stems from the intense unease, disorientation, and the disturbing presence of an unseen entity.

The film makes extensive use of liminal space imagery, featuring numerous shots of doorways, hallways, and staircases that feel familiar yet empty and out of place.

The Blair Witch Project is an American found-footage psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez.

The film follows three film students—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard—who disappear in the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland, while filming a documentary about the local legend of the Blair Witch.

The found footage from their project forms the core of the film.

The film's psychological horror stems from the unseen threat and the increasing paranoia among the characters, who are lost and disoriented in the unfamiliar forest environment.

As Above, So Below, a 2014 found footage horror film by director John Erick Dowdle, also presents the terror of liminal spaces.

The film follows archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe as she continues her deceased father's search for the Philosopher's Stone, an alchemical substance said to be able to transform base metals into gold or silver and grant eternal life.

After acquiring the “Rose Key” artifact in an Iranian cave, Scarlett has a vision of a hanged man before escaping.

She travels to Paris, where her search becomes the subject of a documentary filmed by Benji, assisted by his friend, Aramaic translator George.

Together with her team, Scarlett explores the vast and labyrinthine Parisian Catacombs.

Next, I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) is a surreal psychological horror film directed by Charlie Kaufman, based on the 2016 novel by Iain Reid.

The film follows a young woman, played by Jessie Buckley, who travels with her boyfriend, Jake (Jesse Plemons), to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) on a remote farm.

During the trip, she continually considers ending their relationship.

The film's narrative becomes increasingly surreal and disjointed, exploring themes of identity, regret, and human psychology.

There is a pervasive sense of unease and disorientation as reality continually shifts, akin to the experience of a liminal space.

Finally, The Exit 8 Movie is a Japanese psychological mystery horror film directed by Genki Kawamura, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kentaro Hirase.

The film is based on the 2023 video game of the same name developed by Kotake Create.

Released in Japan on August 29, 2025, and in the United States on April 10, 2026, the film follows a man, referred to as The Lost Man (Kazunari Ninomiya), who is trapped in an endless, looping subway corridor in Japan.

To escape, he must carefully observe his surroundings for “anomalies”—subtle changes in the environment—and react appropriately: turning back if an anomaly is found, and continuing forward if none is.