Editorials
5 Great Horror Films Set In One Location!
Horror movies set in one location (think the film equivalent of a bottle episode of a television show) can be a mixed bag if the location isn’t utilized properly. If the setting lends itself to the plot device, then it can create an incredibly claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. If it’s not, the resulting film could prove to be uninspired and, well, boring. There are some truly fantastic and underrated films that take place in just one location out there, so rather than go with obvious choices like Evil Dead, The Shining or Alien, we thought we’d mention some films that may not be brought up in horror film discussions nearly as much as they should.
Buried – Coffin
If you don’t think Buried is a horror movie, then you clearly don’t suffer from neither claustrophobia or cleithrophobia, because Buried is absolutely a horror movie for anyone suffering from one of those two phobias. Not only does it feature a stellar performance from Ryan Reynolds, who really knocks it out of the park, but it somehow manages to make a one-man show that never leaves the confines of a coffin entertaining throughout its entire 95 minute runtime. It’s an excellent effort from director Rodrigo Cortés and it’s a shame that it’s not brought up more often in conversation.
Cube – Giant Cube Puzzle Rooms
Shitty acting aside, Vincenzo Natali’s (Splice) Cube is an insanely clever film whose influence can be seen in films like Resident Evil and The Cabin in the Woods). The plot is simple: five strangers wake up in a cube-shaped room that is linked to over 17,000 other cube-shaped rooms, many of which feature fatal traps. They must work together to find their way out, but as tensions rise they find that one of their own may be more dangerous than any of the traps they encounter. A remake is supposedly in the works at Lionsgate, and while it could be interesting to see how they update the plot, you should definitely give the original a watch first.
Frozen – Ski Lift
If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of Frozen, Adam Green’s terrifying ski lift-set horror film. The majority of the film takes place on a ski lift (the shoot was apparently pretty grueling) and it’s enough to make this snow skier wary of them on all future vacations. Hatchet may get all of the attention when Green’s name is dropped, but Frozen is what he deserves the most accolades for.
Devil – Elevator
Remember when the trailer for Devil was released and a YouTube video in which an entire theater-full of people laughed at M. Night Shyamalan’s name went viral? It’s a shame that happened, because Devil is actually a pretty decent movie (if you can ignore Jacob Vargas’ multiple religious monologues). The end reveal of who the devil is may not be completely worth it in the end, but it’s able to maintain a considerable amount of tension and instill plenty of paranoia during its brief 80-minute runtime. It makes you wish that director John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes; As Above, So Below) got more work.
Splinter – Gas Station
Splinter, aka one of the most underrated creature features ever made, is a nifty twist on The Thing that really gets under your skin. The creature itself, which is never given a name, is what us horror audiences always clamor for: original. It’s a parasite that causes black splinters to grow out of its host and turn them into mindless monsters. Like many of the other films on this list, Splinter runs at a brief 82 minutes. With all of the talent on display here, it makes one wonder why director Toby Wilkins’ only other directing credit is The Grudge 3 (which is no gem, but it is light years better than The Grudge 2).
What are some of your favorite horror films set in one location? Let us know in the comments below!
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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