Summary

"Backrooms" episode didn't fully embrace the online lore & could have been stronger.
The main storyline was complex, detracting from Daniel's story.
Fans felt "Backrooms" could've been scarier & delved deeper into the backrooms' lore.

American Horror Stories season 3, part two premiered in October 2024 and featured five eerie tales about a monster hiding under a bed, an evil leprechaun, a man cloning himself, a terrifying hospital, and the famous "backrooms" concept. Previous seasons included a new take on the "Bloody Mary" urban legend and a creepy family story about a strange lake, although fans weren't sold on the ending of that particular episode. The latest season was fairly impressive, and fans are waiting to hear if there will be another season.

However, while the American Horror Stories "Backrooms" episode is definitely memorable, it's not the best adaptation of the online lore. The episode could have been much stronger.

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By Aya Tsintziras

The American Horror Stories Episode "Backrooms" Could Have Been A Better Exploration Of Liminal Spaces

Michael Imperioli in American Horror Stories season 4

When American Horror Stories fans got the chance to watch the season 4 episode "Backrooms," they were excited to see how the famous Internet lore would be adapted for the small screen. Unfortunately, while the characters and main storyline are well-done, the "Backrooms" aspect is dull and disappointing and could have been so much better.

A husband and father named Daniel's (Michael Imperioli) life falls apart as he keeps finding himself in odd places with no clue how he got there. These include rooms with green walls that lead to other rooms along with an empty store. These are liminal spaces called "backrooms" that have been posted about online for several years. In 2019, 4Chan posts shared this idea, and Kane Parsons made a web series Backrooms and short film, The Backrooms, about the concept. While Daniel's scenes are definitely creepy, they're not as frightening as they should be.

Other recent American Horror Stories episodes like "X" have an unsettling tone and solid ending, but "Backrooms" pales in comparison. The episode should have only shown Daniel in connected rooms with green walls, as these are the classic "backrooms" that people have seen and read about online. Since Daniel spends time in an empty supermarket, it feels like he could be anywhere, and the backrooms concept doesn't really land.

The American Horror Stories episode "Backrooms" could have simplified the main storyline and focused more on Daniel's quest to find out the truth about what's happening to him. While the reveal that he killed his son Roman (Matthew Eby) is dark and terrible, and of course the Ryan Murphy anthology series features many twists like this one, the episode could have been stronger without this storyline.

Instead, it could have opened with Daniel in the backrooms, wondering how he got there. It would have been more effective if Daniel had been trapped there forever instead of going back and forth between the backrooms and the regular world. Since Daniel was a terrible person who was conceited and cared more about money and fame than his family, his son didn't need to die, and he could have still ended up in the backrooms. The episode could have also shown scenes of another character researching the backrooms and figuring out who created them and why. Instead, when the episode ended, it felt incomplete. The character could also focus on the two different subReddits: r/backrooms and r/TrueBackrooms, as some believe that the lore has changed too much and that the first images of these rooms are the best ones.

What Did Fans Think Of The American Horror Stories Episode "Backrooms"?

While fans loved the American Horror Stories episode "Bestie," some felt that "Backrooms" didn't live up to its interesting premise. Redditor @vacantobsessions wrote:

"I feel like the episode could've been 10x scarier had they used some of the monsters I've seen on the backwoods forums."

Redditor @telekeneticeleven011 agreed that the backrooms lore should have been shared in more detail. They wrote:

"the lore for the backrooms was lame in my opinion. I would have enjoyed the episode more if it was done in a found footage format similar to Kane Pixels and had a group of people studying the phenomenon, and coming up with theories on why backrooms exist."

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