Backrooms is easily one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2026, but before it hits the theaters, fans of the horror genre must watch another overlooked film that has a similar creepypasta-esque vibe.
In the past, several attempts have been made to translate popular creepypasta to the big and small screen. While some of these creepypasta adaptations have proven to be fairly successful, many others have fallen flat. It may be too soon to determine how the Backrooms sci-fi movie will turn out, but it looks quite promising in the trailers and has been created by talented young filmmaker, Kane Parsons, who is really passionate about the project and its internet lore.
There is a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming Backrooms movie, and deservedly so. However, before it premieres, audiences must check out another brilliant indie horror movie that came out two years ago.
Before Backrooms, You Must Watch Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow
When the trailers for Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow first came out, its plot seemed familiar because it reminded many of the Candle Cove creepypasta. Like Candle Cove, the movie centers on a mysterious TV show that seems to blur the line between fiction and reality.
However, even though the movie’s creepypasta parallels were intriguing, it springboarded into a story that felt far more introspective and emotionally resonant. The movie’s director has not cited Candle Cove as a direct inspiration. However, with its unsettling portrayal of the nature of human memory and one’s struggles with identity in a world that constantly depresses your truth, it comes off as the perfect follow-up to the creepypasta.
Purely from a visual standpoint, I Saw the TV Glow feels like a fever dream that instills nostalgia but also terrifies. It features everything from CRT televisions to tracking lines in its storytelling and also reminds viewers of the midnight broadcasts from the 1990s. However, instead of portraying television as a mere piece of furniture, it turns it into a haunting metaphor for escapism and identity.
From the looks of it, Backrooms‘ upcoming movie is also treading the same path. Instead of only focusing on how uneasy the liminal backrooms make people feel, the film will seemingly use them as metaphors for mental health and escapism.
Given how both Backrooms and I Saw The TV Glow use familiar creepypasta-esque ideas to deliver hard-hitting human stories about identity, loneliness, and the fragile nature of human perception, I Saw the TV Glow is the perfect film to watch while waiting for Backrooms.
Creepypasta Adaptations Are Usually Disappointing, But Backrooms Seems Different
When the Backrooms movie was first announced, it was hard not to wonder whether it would turn out to be another forced creepypasta movie like Slender Man. Even the Slender Man lore could have been used to tell an effective horror story, but its adaptation ultimately reduced it to a series of generic scares. Owing to this, the movie was widely panned by critics, and it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 8%.
Fortunately, it looks like Backrooms is not treading the same path. Director Kane Parsons has been very passionate about the internet legend for a very long time and has been creating viral short films on YouTube surrounding its lore for years.
Backrooms is scheduled to premiere on May 29, 2026.
Considering how he completely understands what makes the Backrooms so unsettling and has obsessively tried to capture its eerie sense of liminality and isolation even before he landed the big-screen adaptation, there is good reason to be optimistic that the film will preserve the essence of the original horror concept.
Hopefully, like I Saw the TV Glow, the Backrooms creepypasta horror movie will also turn out to be as compelling as horror fans expect it to be.