Movies
‘The Outwaters’ Opens in Limited Theaters TOMORROW; Get Tickets Now!
First, there was Terrifier 2, and then there was Skinamarink. Now, the unholy trinity of indie horror completes its circle this weekend when Robbie Banfitch‘s nightmare The Outwaters opens in limited theaters from Cinedigm, Bloody Disgusting, and SCREAMBOX.
Beginning its theatrical run in 100+ theaters, tickets for The Outwaters can be found over at Fandango or on the official website.
While the film’s performance ultimately will decide just how much it expands, we’re kicking the hype to 11 on the cosmic horror that critics are calling “suffocating” and “terrifying”.
If you want to witness a film truly descend straight into the pits of depravity, The Outwaters slow-rolls into the seven levels of Hell and can only be described as Blair Witch Project meets Event Horizon. The film takes viewers off the beaten path and into their own nightmares… Believe the hype.
“Robbie Banfitch‘s film plays out over three memory cards found in a sun-drenched section of the Mojave Desert. The footage within is that of a foursome, who set out to make a music video while camping, led by a charismatic LA filmmaker. Their trip starts out uneventful, though their peace is occasionally disrupted by unexplained sounds, vibrations, and unnatural animal behavior.
“Then one night everything changes, sending the foursome on a mind-bending trip through terror.”
The visceral, chaotic, and disorienting horror film is hands down one of the scariest films of the year. Nightmarish Conjurings noted it was “a rare gift in horror” and “something [viewers] haven’t seen before,” while our very own Meagan Navarro called it “a singular, experimental descent into depravity and gory chaos.” You have to read her review.
In fact, DailyDead calls it “a terrifying, suffocating viewing experience,” while iHORROR says it’s “on track to become the next cult horror movie,” adding that it’s “the most disturbing movie of the year.”
The Outwaters stars Banfitch, Angela Basolis, Michelle May, Scott Schamell and Leslie Ann Banfitch and features original music by Salem Belladonna. The film was produced by Beau J. Genot and Banfitch with Robert Abramoff serving as the executive producer.
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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