The Bad Penny (beta)

To the surprise of no one, the summer blockbuster to beat is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey which, based on the reactions of critics and average-joe moviegoers alike, seems to be the best movie of all time ever made ever in the history of all times. But there’s still a curious mid-card match taking place far more unexpectedly: the jostling between two very low-budget psychological horror flicks, Obsession and Backrooms. Both are very unnerving, mostly sparing in the use of violence, and tap into Americans’ widespread fear these days of psychological insanity and not knowing what’s real (cough, MAGA, cough) versus physical violence.

The Bad Penny highly recommends both films – and one more, although it dates back 26 years. The Cell was a thoroughly original horror movie (more so than sci-fi, the genre in which it was primarily marketed and classified). It starred Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D’Onofrio, who didn’t make for the strongest acting ensemble, but that issue was mitigated by the fact that visionary Indian director Tarsem Singh helmed The Cell.

While it still has a pretty rotten score of 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, moviegoers actually did flock to see the arty thriller, in which a psychiatrist – using new technology – enters the mind of a serial killer in order to save the life of at least one of his victims. She becomes trapped in his sadistic fantasies and … we’ll leave the rest for you to discover, should you choose to watch it.

Sound familiar? That’s because the premise of Backrooms is not identical but exceptionally close. A therapist attempts to solve the cascading problems of an alcoholic man spiraling downward and effectively ends up in his psyche, although in this case it’s a series of liminal spaces.

The Cell and Backrooms both excel in their judicious use of gore while employing truly unsettling monsters/creations/extrapolations of men with deep psychiatric disorders. Which film is superior is in the eye of the beholder – if you enjoy minimalist cinema, Backrooms is your bag; if fantastical, splendorous montages and scenes reminiscent of a music video appeal to you, The Cell might get the edge.

This entry was posted on 07/28/2026 at 9:36 am and is filed under Essays, Favorite Films, Features with tags Backrooms, Chiwetel Ejiofor, J. Lo, Jennifer Lopez, Kane Parsons, Renate Reinsve, Tarsem Singh, The Cell, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.