Movies
[Remember This?] The Trailer And Website For ‘7500’ Are Now Over Two Years Old
Usually I get really annoyed when people armchair quarterback the business. For every “why doesn’t it happen like *THIS*?” there are actually a million logical answers, most of them having to do with money, scheduling or the fact that something just didn’t turn out quite right. So I’m not going to sit here and aimlesly wonder or expound on why 7500 hasn’t been released yet. It’s self evident that someone, somewhere, isn’t entirely comfortable putting it out yet.
Still, I feel it’s worth noting that the official website and trailer for the film are now over two years old and, aside from some of the film’s talent speculating on Twitter, there’s no release date in sight. Hell, at this point even the rumors of reshoots to get the film “where it needs to be” are over two years old. Granted, it often takes a while for a movie to hit screens (this goes for indie acquisitions and studio productions alike) and it’s not always an indicator against the film’s quality. You’re Next and Warm Bodies were both really good films that got shuffled around in part because Lionsgate and Summit merged and two release schedules had to be streamlined into one. Livide is apparently a really good movie that Dimension just doesn’t know what to do with.
Unlike Livide, which screened at TIFF in 2011, there hasn’t been an opportunity for the press or public to see 7500. We’re not really sure if the film is any good or not. I will tell you that I’m certainly pulling for it to be good. I like director Takashi Shimizu‘s work and the trailer doesn’t actually look all that bad to me. The premise has an inherent goofiness, but other films have overcome far worse. So while I’m definitely not trying to smear the movie, it’s in danger of becoming a period piece. At least one of the FAA regulations (the use of electronics) on display here has been stricken down and is rapidly becoming a waning practice.
If I were the type to armchair quarterback this sort of thing, I’d suggest that CBS films just put this thing on VOD and get what they can from it. Then again, it’s an expensive film and they might not recoup on that platform – especially if they’re cutting their losses and decide not to throw a lot of money into promoting it. Still, some money would be ready than no money, right? But then again, a certain type of theatrical or P&A commitment might be present in the language of someone’s deal on this film – in which case my stupid layman suggestion goes out the window (where most stupid layman suggestions belong). Only time will tell what ultimately happens to 7500.
In the meantime, we still have the trailer. We can all revisit that and wonder if air travel will even exist when this film is finally released or if we’ll have moved on to some next level teleportation sh*t instead.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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