Television line-ups this week combine timeless masterpieces with fresh genre-benders, offering viewers a varied palate of cinematic experiences. From Ingmar Bergman’s existential masterpiece to a modern horror-comedy, the schedule promises something for every palate. Meanwhile, the indie horror sensation Backrooms continues to dominate both theatrical receipts and streaming minutes, cementing its place as a 2026 cultural touchstone.
This week’s standout TV movies
On Monday, HBO Max launches Backrooms, the low-budget thriller that has already sparked a cult following. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Clark, a struggling architect who discovers an endless, yellow-lit liminal space behind a strip-mall shop. Renate Reinsve joins as his therapist Mary, whose own claustrophobia fuels a desperate rescue mission. The film’s blend of psychological dread and inventive set-pieces makes it a must-see.
BBC Four revisits classic cinema on Saturday at 9.30 pm with Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. Max von Sydow’s iconic chess match with Death remains one of film history’s most quoted images, while the austere black-and-white imagery captures a plague-ravaged medieval world.
Later that night, BBC One presents Cat Person, a genre-twisting adaptation of Kristen Roupenian’s viral short story. Emilia Jones portrays Margot, a college sophomore navigating a volatile relationship with the seemingly amiable yet unsettling Robert, played by Nicholas Braun. The film oscillates between romantic comedy and psychological horror, mirroring the uncertainty of modern dating.
For true-crime aficionados, Sunday’s slot on Talking Pictures TV features The Boston Strangler. Tony Curtis, in a rare turn, embodies the DNA-linked killer Albert DeSalvo, while a stalwart cast of Boston detectives, led by Henry Fonda, chase the elusive murderer across 1960s Massachusetts. Director Richard Fleischer’s split-screen technique adds a period-authentic pacing that keeps tension high.
Mid-week on Film4, Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers arrives at 9 pm. Andrew Scott delivers a nuanced performance as Adam, a gay screenwriter confronting past trauma after revisiting his childhood home. The drama weaves together themes of regret, sexuality, and redemption, supported by strong performances from Claire Foy, Jamie Bell, and Paul Mescal.
BBC One’s 10.40 pm offering on Wednesday, The Monkey, pairs Tatiana Maslany with Theo James in a horror-comedy inspired by a Stephen King short story. A cursed wind-up monkey delivers gruesome deaths to anyone who turns its key, prompting twin protagonists to confront mortality with dark humor.
Finally, Prime Video’s Friday night slot showcases Apocalypse Z: New World. Set after a blood-borne virus outbreak, the Spanish-language sequel follows Carlos Alcaide’s Roberto on a perilous mainland mission, while the ever-present cat Lúculo adds a strange, comforting element to the chaos.
Backrooms shatters expectations at box office and streaming
Even as new titles emerge, the horror film Backrooms has slipped from #4 to #7 on Nielsen’s weekly family-viewing chart, despite a modest rise in total minutes watched—from 226 million to 231 million. The dip reflects a broader diversification of horror offerings ahead of Halloween, yet the film’s performance remains formidable.
Released by A24 in May, the movie was produced on a shoestring budget of $10 million. It has since amassed more than $402.5 million worldwide, making it the studio’s highest-grossing title to date and the second-largest horror earner of 2026, trailing only the $522 million blockbuster Obsession. Critical consensus is equally strong: Rotten Tomatoes rates it 86 % Certified Fresh, praising director Kane Parsons’s ability to translate a creepypasta myth into a “startlingly assured feature debut.” Audience scores sit at 74 % from over 10 000 verified reviews, highlighting broad appeal beyond niche internet fans.
Industry observers note that Parsons, at just 20 years old when filming began, has become the youngest director to top both U.S. and global box-office rankings. The film’s visual language, crafted by cinematographer Jeremy Cox, relies heavily on interior shots (93 % of frames) bathed in soft, low-contrast lighting, with a warm, desaturated palette dominated by yellow accents—an aesthetic that mirrors the endless, monotonous corridors of the fictional “backrooms.”
What lies ahead for the Backrooms universe
With the franchise still generating momentum, Parsons confirmed that “new projects are in the works.” The original YouTube web series, which sparked the film’s conception, will continue alongside a confirmed sequel, Backrooms 2, slated for an A24 release. While exact dates remain under wraps, the director has hinted at expanding the mythology into a television format, suggesting that audiences may soon spend extended episodes exploring the unsettling liminal space.
For now, the original film remains accessible on HBO Max, where it continues to rack up streaming minutes and inspire curiosity about its online origins. Viewer comments frequently cite the movie’s ability to evoke dread through atmosphere rather than conventional monsters, noting its “existential horror” and “psychological tension.” As the franchise’s ecosystem grows, the blend of indie ingenuity and mainstream distribution could set a new benchmark for internet-sourced storytelling.
