Image via A24
Published Jun 15, 2026, 9:38 PM EDT
Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.
A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.
Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.
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It's tremendous what Kane Parsons has achieved with Backrooms. At only 20 years old, not only is Parsons the youngest-ever director of an A24 film, nor only is he responsible for the indie studio's highest-grossing film to date. There's also the fact that the movie's theatrical run is not even remotely close to over, yet Parsons is already far and away the youngest director ever to make a film that grossed over $200 million dollars at the box office.
But as great as Backrooms may be, and as satisfying as its commercial success has been so far, by no means is it the greatest surrealist horror movie ever made. In fact, those who loved the oddness and "elevated horror" feeling of avant-garde artistry that Parsons threw into his film thankfully have a certain ten masterpieces that they should check out as soon as possible.
10 'Color Out of Space' (2019)
Image via RLJE FilmsH. P. Lovecraft is one of the most important voices in the history of weird fiction, a genre of speculative fiction that has a lot in common with surrealism. As such, many of the most memorable surrealist horror movies that have been made over the years have been Lovecraft adaptations. Case in point: Richard Stanley's Color Out of Space, one of the most essential cosmic horror movies ever.
Nicolas Cage has been making some delightfully bizarre career choices over the course of the last decade, and this is one of his best. Delectably pulpy and reveling in its gonzo influences, Color Out of Space is the sort of horror/sci-fi B-picture that Hollywood doesn't really make anymore. It's colorful, it's scary, and it's every bit as weird as any Backrooms fan could possibly ask for.
9 'The Lighthouse' (2019)
Image via A24Robert Eggers has cemented himself as one of the greatest horror directors currently working in Hollywood, and the masterpiece that really left no doubt of that status was The Lighthouse. Another A24 horror movie that all Backrooms fans should check out, this black-and-white masterpiece is imbued with elements of dark comedy and homoeroticism that are impossible to not be fascinated by.
The Lighthouse is one of the most perfect movies of the last 10 years, a brilliant re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe's unfinished story of the same name. Full of striking visuals, thought-provoking symbolism, and moments of powerhouse acting by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson at the top of their game, it's the nearly-flawless work of an auteur in full control of his craft.
8 'Seconds' (1966)
Image via MGMIn one of the most genius examples of meta-casting in the history of 20th-century Hollywood, Rock Hudson, a cult-favorite actor known for his hidden gay identity during Hollywood's Golden Age, was cast in John Frankenheimer's Seconds as a character abandoning and concealing his true self. It's one of those forgotten classics that have aged like fine wine, an exceptional sci-fi neo-noir masterpiece unlike any other.
It's a cult-classic well-known not just for Hudson's performance, but also for Frankenheimer's airtight direction and DP James Wong Howe's stunning camerawork. It's a masterclass in paranoid psychological horror, a harrowing gem whose bleak, subversive message on the American Dream has aged perfectly. Deeply disorienting and hallucinatory in its surrealism, it's an underrated classic that far more people should be familiar with.
7 'The Wolf House' (2018)
Image via Globo Rojo Films The Chilean avant-garde stop-motion horror gem The Wolf House is the only proof anyone should need that animation isn't always for kids. It's one of the heaviest animated movies ever made, based on the horrifying true case of Colonia Dignidad, an isolated colony established in post-World War II Chile by emigrant Germans notorious for the internment, torture, and murder of Augusto Pinochet dissidents.
It's a truly disturbing true story to base a movie on, but debuting directors Cristobal León and Joaquín Cociña treat the subject with profound yet harrowing sensitivity. Hugely experimental, psychologically complex, and disturbingly surreal, it's proof of just how effective the stop-motion medium can be when it comes to delivering an unforgettable horror story.
6 'The Devils' (1971)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesKen Russell's horror drama The Devils is one of the most infamous horror cult classics of all time, a dramatized historical account of the Loudun possessions. Due to its graphic portrayal of violent and sexual content, often very overtly blasphemous, the movie originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States, being banned in many countries.
That may have been an issue back then, but nowadays, having been banned throughout the world is a badge of honor that practically guarantees a horror film's cult status, The Devils being no exception. Exploring themes of corruption and sexual repression through a nightmarishly surreal visual style, the whole thing feels hallucinatory in all sorts of fascinating ways.
5 'The Cremator' (1969)
Image via Janus FilmsThere are many countries that no longer exist but which produced some of the greatest films of their time, and Czechoslovakia in particular has one of the strongest filmographies of any European country of the 20th century. A perfect example of that fact is Juraj Herz's The Cremator, one of the best World War II horror movies ever made, a cult classic that's among the highest-rated horror films in history on Letterboxd.
A chilling depiction of the rise of Nazism that portrays extremist indoctrination in profoundly thought-provoking ways.
It's one of the most powerful films ever made about the banality of evil, a chilling depiction of the rise of Nazism that portrays extremist indoctrination in profoundly thought-provoking ways. The way it employs surrealism to generate an atmosphere of nightmarish dread is as effective as it is perfectly calculated, relying on a tone equal parts hypnotic and disorienting that fans of Backrooms will surely love.
4 'House' (1977)
Image via TohoThere are plenty of cult classics that deserve more fans, and the Japanese comedy horror gem House is definitely among them. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, it stars mostly amateur actors and is anchored by a score performed by the Japanese rock band Godiego. Originally commissioned by Toho Studios as a film trying to replicate the unparalleled success of 1975's Jaws, it transformed into a kind of phenomenon all of its own.
House is absurdly hilarious and ridiculously surreal in ways that you can't really see in any other horror movie, blending hyper-stylized live-action with pop-art animation that results in a nightmarish yet cartoonish fever dream. It's definitely far more over-the-top and far funnier than Backrooms, but people who enjoyed the more logic-defying elements of Kane Parson's grasp on horror surrealism will definitely find something to enjoy here.
3 'Jacob's Ladder' (1990)
Image via Tri-Star PicturesAdrian Lyne's psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder is far and away one of the greatest Hollywood horror films of the '90s, a cult classic that deserves far more fans than it has. Touching on themes of trauma, grief, and spirituality, it explores the mind's attempts to make sense of death through a surrealist atmosphere that feels as fitting as it does chilling.
It functions perfectly as both an anti-war drama and a deeply philosophical character study, all while looking delectably mind-bending and portraying its protagonist's fractured state of mind in all sorts of stunning ways. Hugely original and feverishly bizarre, it's an absolutely visceral surrealist masterpiece that all those who love disturbing horror will find perfectly satisfying.
2 'Perfect Blue' (1997)
Image via Rex EntertainmentSatoshi Kon was one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers of his generation, a master of the anime medium who tragically left us far too soon due to pancreatic cancer. But before his passing, he left behind a legacy of some of the greatest anime movies of his time. That includes Perfect Blue, which is one of those animated classics that have aged like fine wine.
Its psychological horror at its most disturbing, and though Kon is very patient in how and when he deploys the movie's surreal elements, this is still a must-see for fans of mind-bending horror. Kon slowly starts to weaponize these surreal elements to simulate the psychological breakdown of its protagonist, imbuing the film with a dreamlike atmosphere that's as chilling as it is emotionally effective.
1 'Eraserhead' (1977)
Image via Libra Films InternationalAfter Luis Bueñuel, who is almost undeniably the grandfather of cinematic surrealism, there is no surrealist filmmaker more important or more groundbreaking than David Lynch. He's a director with a massive cult following all of his own, and you could tell from very early on in his career just how talented he was—from his debut, in fact. Eraserhead is far and away one of the greatest debut horror films of all time.
The black-and-white visuals are unforgettable, the sound design is absolutely masterful, Jack Nance's lead performance is flawless, and Lynch's direction is beyond perfect. This is easily one of the most surreal horror movies of all time, and that surrealism is in service of a story about the paralyzing fears and anxieties of fatherhood. Packed with the same kind of twisted subversions of Americana, heavy use of body horror, and nightmarish dream logic that would soon come to define the term "Lynchian," Eraserhead is the best surrealist horror film that a Backrooms fan could possibly watch.
Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving? Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky
Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you're not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.
🏕️Jason
🔪Michael
💤Freddy
🎈Pennywise
🪆Chucky
TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →
01
Something feels wrong. You can't explain it — you just know. What do you do? First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.
ALeave immediately. I don't need to understand a threat to respect it. BStay quiet and observe. If I can see it, I can understand it. If I can understand it, I can avoid it. CStay awake. Whatever this is, I am not going to sleep until I feel safe again. DConfront it directly. Fear grows in the dark — I'd rather know what I'm dealing with. ECheck everything, trust nothing. The threat might be closer than I think — and smaller.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong? Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.
ASomewhere remote — a cabin, a campsite, off the grid and away from people. BA quiet suburban neighbourhood where nothing ever happens. Except tonight. CIn my own head — the most dangerous place of all, depending on what's already in there. DWherever children are — because something about this place attracts the worst things. ESomewhere ordinary — a house, a toy store, a place where the last thing you'd expect is a threat.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
What is your most reliable survival asset? Every survivor has a quality the villain didn't account for. What's yours?
APhysical fitness — I can run, I can swim, I can outlast something that relies on brute persistence. BSpatial awareness — I always know the exits, the hiding spots, the fastest route out. CPsychological resilience — I've faced my worst fears before. They don't have the same power over me. DEmotional steadiness — I don't panic. Panic is what gets you caught. EScepticism — I don't underestimate threats because of how they look. Size is irrelevant.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through? Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.
AThe unstoppable — something that will not stop, cannot be reasoned with, and is always getting closer. BThe invisible — a threat I can feel but can't locate, watching from somewhere I can't see. CThe psychological — something that uses my own mind and memories against me. DThe unknowable — something ancient, shapeless, that feeds on the fear itself. EThe mundane — a threat so ordinary-looking that no one will believe me until it's too late.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
You're with a group when things start going wrong. What's your role? Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn't.
AThe one who says "we need to leave" first — and means it, even when no one listens. BThe one who stays quiet, watches the others, and figures out the pattern before anyone else does. CThe one who holds the group together when panic sets in — because someone has to. DThe one who asks the questions nobody wants to ask — because ignoring them gets people killed. EThe one who takes the threat seriously when everyone else is laughing it off.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
What's the horror movie mistake you're most likely to make? Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.
AGoing back for someone — I know I shouldn't, but I can't leave them behind. BAssuming I'm safe once I've found a hiding spot. That's when it finds me. CFalling asleep when I absolutely cannot afford to. Exhaustion is its own enemy. DLetting my curiosity override my instincts — I always need to understand what I'm dealing with. EDismissing the threat because of how it looks. That's exactly what it wants.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What's your best weapon against something that can't be stopped by conventional means? Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.
AThe environment itself — I use the terrain, the water, the geography against it. BPatience — I wait, I watch, and I strike at the one moment it doesn't expect. CLucidity — if I can stay in control of my own mind, it loses its primary weapon. DCourage — facing it directly, refusing to run, taking away the fear it feeds on. EImprovisation — I use whatever's at hand, however unconventional. Creativity over brute force.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
It's the final scene. You're the last one standing. How did you make it? The final survivor always has a reason. What's yours?
AI kept moving. I never stopped, never hid for too long, never let it corner me. BI figured out the pattern before anyone else did — and I used it against the thing following it. CI stayed awake, stayed lucid, and refused to give it the one thing it needed most. DI stopped being afraid of it. And the moment I did, everything changed. EI took it seriously from the start — and I never once made the mistake of underestimating it.
REVEAL MY VILLAIN →
Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated Your Best Chance Is Against…
Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.
Jason Voorhees
Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.
- He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn't strategise, doesn't adapt, doesn't outsmart. He simply pursues.
- Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
- The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
- You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.
Michael Myers
Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it's too late for anyone who isn't paying close enough attention.
- But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
- Michael's power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
- Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
- You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.
Freddy Krueger
Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.
- You are harder to destabilise than most. You've faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven't looked away.
- The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
- Freddy's greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
- Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.
Pennywise
Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.
- The Losers Club didn't survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
- You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
- That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise's worst nightmare.
- It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.
Chucky
Chucky's greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it's already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.
- You don't have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
- Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
- Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
- Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
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