Editorial · Article
The Poolrooms (2026): Release Date, the Title Change From The Pools, and Is It a Backrooms Movie?
In theaters December 25, 2026 · Formerly titled The Pools · Directed by Galen Christy and Sasha Yelaun
By Alan Willey ·
The Poolrooms is a found-footage horror film scheduled for US theaters on December 25, 2026. It was announced in June 2026 as The Pools, and the production has since retitled it. TMDB and Letterboxd still list the old title.
Galen Christy and Sasha Yelaun directed it. It is their first feature as directors; both have worked mainly as producers.
As of October 1, 2026, no distributor, cast, runtime, rating or trailer has been announced.
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Release date and where to watch
The official site lists the film as in theaters on December 25, 2026. Bloody Disgusting, ComingSoon and iHorror repeated the date in late September. No distributor has been named, and the number of theaters has not been announced. The directors' company, Rebel Raider Media, was launched in 2025 as a production and distribution company, according to Deadline.
No streaming, digital rental or purchase plans have been announced. This page and the film page will be updated when they are.
The Pools and The Poolrooms are the same film
The film was announced as The Pools in June 2026, with a poster and the December 25 date. By late September the official site, IMDb and trade coverage were using The Poolrooms. The film's YouTube channel is still named The Pools.
Two other titles get mixed up with it. Pools (2025) is an unrelated coming-of-age film directed by Sam Hayes, with Odessa A'zion and Ariel Winter; some of its digital release trailers are labeled 2026. A separate, unrelated indie project also called The Poolrooms is listed for 2027.
Is it connected to the Backrooms?
Not officially. The production describes the film as inspired by liminal spaces, abandoned waterparks and Backrooms-style horror. The Poolrooms is a name from that internet lore for endless tiled rooms full of water. The look traces back to a series of 3D renders by the artist Jared Pike in 2020.
It is not connected to Backrooms, the A24 film by Kane Parsons released on May 29, 2026. Film Fever reported in July that it "will not be connected to Kane Parsons' Backrooms universe," and no A24 or Parsons credit appears on it. Backrooms has its own preview page.
It is also unrelated to Pools, the 2024 video game by the Finnish studio Tensori, which adapts Pike's Poolrooms.
What it is about
The official site describes a teenager who accidentally "noclips" into an endless maze of swimming pools, tunnels, bridges, locker rooms, slides and flooded corridors, where something lurks beneath the water. It is presented as found footage.
Is it scary?
It has no Watch Darkly score yet. Scores are published only after a film has been watched.
No trailer, reviews or rating have been released, so nothing beyond the premise is known about how frightening it is. Its Fear, Gore, Atmosphere and Intensity scores will go on the film page once it has been watched.
How it was made
The directors say it was shot on practical locations, with Rigby's Water World and Assembly Studios in Atlanta as the two main ones, and that artists used Maya and Blender to extend the environments. They gave that account after Bloody Disgusting added an editor's note about claims that significant portions of the film were made with generative AI.
Alexander Kane of Grytt Picture Shows is a producer. Christy and Yelaun are also producers on the film.
Related films on Watch Darkly
Backrooms(2026)
A24's film from the Backrooms, the internet lore The Poolrooms draws on. The two are not connected.
Cube(1997)
Strangers trapped in a maze of identical rooms, with no explanation of how they got there.
Skinamarink(2022)
A low-budget film made almost entirely of dim, empty domestic spaces, often grouped with liminal-space horror.
The Deep House(2021)
A found-footage film shot almost entirely underwater.
Common questions
- When does The Poolrooms come out?
- December 25, 2026, in theaters, according to the film's official site. No distributor had been named as of October 1, 2026.
- Is The Pools the same movie as The Poolrooms?
- Yes. It was announced as The Pools in June 2026 and retitled The Poolrooms. Some listings, including TMDB and Letterboxd, still use the old title.
- Is The Poolrooms a Backrooms movie?
- It is inspired by Backrooms-style internet lore, but it is not connected to A24's Backrooms or to its director, Kane Parsons.
- Is The Poolrooms based on the game Pools?
- No. Pools is a 2024 video game by the Finnish studio Tensori. The film is a separate production with no credited link to it.
- Is there a trailer for The Poolrooms?
- No trailer had been released as of October 1, 2026.
- Who directed The Poolrooms?
- Galen Christy and Sasha Yelaun, in their first feature as directors.
- Who is in The Poolrooms?
- The cast had not been announced as of October 1, 2026.
- Is The Poolrooms found footage?
- Yes. The official site describes it as a found-footage horror film.