Hideo Kojima Says This New Hit Horror Movie Is the 21st-Century Version of 'Cube': "Blown Away"

Hideo Kojima, the game designer and cinephile behind Metal Gear and Death Stranding, rarely treats fans to recommendations. However, when he suggests something to watch, his opinion is worth heeding.

This time, he shared his thoughts on Backrooms, an A24 production based on an internet creepypasta.

Hideo Kojima Has Nothing but Praise for Kane Parsons' 'Backrooms'

Kojima noted that the movie reminded him of pseudo-3D games from the 2D era and also drew parallels between the flick, his own work, and the 1997 movie Cube:

“I'm blown away. It reminds me of pseudo-3D games from the 2D era, back in the dawn of RPGs and the Family Computer (NES), before polygons and textures existed. [...] I used to draw maps on graph paper just to keep track of where I was.

That sense of confinement. That feeling of anxiety. Both are revived here in live action. The art direction is clever, incorporating elements of art, architecture, and psychology.

This is a 21st-century liminal-space version of "CUBE," a work of surrealism and cubism in which video games of the 1980s and the modern world connect across dimensions.”

What Is 'Backrooms' About?

Clark, a former architect and furniture store owner, is perpetually angry and weary of life's injustices – he drinks heavily and attends therapy sessions with Mary.

While trying to figure out how to pay mounting electricity bills, he stumbles upon a strange portal in the basement of his shop. It leads to a vast labyrinth of rooms, corridors, and halls.

Drawn into exploring this boundless space, Clark soon loses himself. Meanwhile, Mary, driven by a desire to save her client or confront her own demons, follows him into the infinite Backrooms.

'Backrooms' Is a Defining Movie of the New Horror Generation

Backrooms embodies the fears of Gen Z, a generation that was raised with unrestricted access to the internet and technology and that perceives no boundary between the real and the virtual.

The movie originated from the internet myth of the same name – a piece of creepypasta lore centered on liminal spaces into which a person can "slip" from ordinary reality.

Drawing from digital culture, Parsons has crafted a found-footage, psychological drama, and sci-fi horror hybrid that joins a long lineage of films in which space acts not merely as a backdrop but as an aggressor.

Unlike Kubrick's The Shining or Argento's Suspiria, Backrooms eschews stylistic flourishes, offering only a bleak, infinite expanse of office space.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Backrooms'?

• Backrooms has 87% from critics and 74% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.9/10.

• On Letterboxd, Backrooms scored 3.3/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Backrooms'?

Backrooms is available to buy or rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.