American Horror Stories Season 4: Backrooms Ending Explained

The following contains spoilers for American Horror Stories Season 4 Episode 5, “Backrooms,” now streaming on HuluThe end of American horror stories“Backrooms” is the latest entry in the FX horror anthology series that explores the boundaries between life, death and guilt. Starring Michael Imperioli, Matthew Maher, David Pittu and Natalie Gold, “Backrooms” centers on an acclaimed Hollywood author who struggles with the consequences of his son Roman seemingly vanishing into thin air. As he and his ex-wife Riva struggle with the grim reality of the situation and the likelihood that their son is gone forever, Daniel finds himself increasingly drawn into a mysterious, metaphysical and often hellish space that becomes known as the “Back Room.” “

Over the course of the history of the American horror storyIn the hardcover anthology, Daniel remains the focus of the episode. The character's efforts to understand the “back rooms” play a role in his attempts to keep Roman's true fate a secret from the world and himself. It's a dark episode of American horror stories Season 4. “Backrooms” is a relatively dramatic episode, but it takes on a haunting quality due to its theme and thematic structure. It's a dark rumination on acceptance, guilt and consequences this becomes even more poignant in retrospect. Here's how “Backrooms” ends and how it takes it to a new level American horror storyThe universe.

Who killed Roman in American Horror Stories: Backrooms?

Why Daniel killed Roman and how he tried to cover it up

Roman's death is the central mystery of American horror stories“The plot of Backrooms is built around revealing that It was Daniel who murdered his son. For much of the episode you can see how Daniel suffers from the mysterious disappearance of his ten-year-old son. Furthermore, he is repeatedly drawn into a mysterious space between life and death. These seemingly banal “back rooms” are teeming with haunting ghosts that haunt Daniel. His visits to this realm seem to last longer and longer in real life, so much so that he goes missing for weeks while Roman's body is discovered.

Related

The 10 best series like American Horror Stories

American Horror Stories took the horror from its parent anthology series and consolidated it, and there are many shows with a similar premise.

While Daniel can see Roman in this room, the boy's eyes have been gouged out and he is hiding behind a mask. It is eventually revealed that Daniel is the one who killed Roman by apparently hitting and strangling his son. Daniel initially appears to have repressed this memory (as well as the memory of burying Roman's body in the woods near the playground where Daniel killed him), but surveillance camera footage from a nearby golf course confirms Daniel's actions. This explains the ghostly Roman's apparent anger at his fatherand sets up the episode's dark ending.

What the back rooms are in American horror stories explained

The “back rooms” are a kind of purgatory American horror stories

The “back rooms” are a metaphysical space between life and death American horror stories. These spaces can range from the mundanely ordinary mall to the extremely specific banquet where Daniel finds his Oscar ceremony amidst a feast and a swarm of masked figures. After learning about another person who experienced the backrooms, Daniel contacts Eli and learns that the latter is a programmer who accidentally killed a woman while driving. From Eli, Daniel (and the audience) learns that the back rooms are a terrible purgatory that contains memories of past sins a horrific figure referred to as the “Red Woman.”

Eli explains that the “back rooms” effectively serve as a space between the realms of life and death, a certain path between one and the other. Most people cannot see this space, but those who, according to Eli, have “broken the social contract” by committing heinous acts toward others can be drawn into this space. Eli experienced this several times before finally admitting his guilt in manslaughter. This led to him being arrested, but also seemingly freed him from captivity in the back rooms. This lends credence to Eli's theory that the room is intended for those who would otherwise have escaped punishment on the mortal plane.

Where does Daniel end up in American Horror Stories: Backrooms?

Daniel is killed and sent to a silent hell

Daniel's crimes come to light in the final moments of “Backrooms,” leading to the police trying to arrest the writer – and ultimately shooting him when he fires a pistol at them. This leads to Daniel taking hellish elevators back to a new, more dubious room. The implication is that Daniel ends up in a hellish afterlife as the demonic-looking Red Woman leads him to a waiting room, where he must expect to spend an eternity contemplating his actions in lonely silence. This everyday environment seems a fitting hell for Daniel.

It's an ideal punishment for Daniel, who may miss his son but seems to confirm the Red Woman's suspicion that what he wants more than anything is to escape the haunting purgatory of the back rooms. Remarkably, the only reading material the author can devote to when spending an eternity alone is a series of magazines about healthy father-son relationships, This underscores that this is a special punishment for a father who has abused his son's fundamental trust in him. The episode ends with Daniel alone with his thoughts, waiting in an empty, hellish waiting room for his number to come up.

The True Meaning of American Horror Stories: Backroom's Ending

Recognizing and accepting guilt can be the key to escaping the “back rooms.”

Guilt is at the heart of “Backrooms,” as the backrooms themselves draw attention to the failings of those trapped in them. The more Daniel sees the space, the less general and more specific it becomes. The empty halls and shopping market that Eli also saw gave way to concrete reflections on Daniel's professional successes and memories of his failures as a father and husband. Daniel's attempts to immerse himself in his work and avoid the truth about his actions cause him to become increasingly lost in the back rooms. until he can no longer escape the reality of what he has done.

What's notable is that Daniel initially appears to admit what he did and tearfully apologizes in Daniel's room. But unlike Eli (who accepted his guilt and confessed his crimes), Daniel refuses to admit his actions. He claims he didn't kill Roman, even though the police arrive with evidence. Both Eli and Daniel are imprisoned for their actions, however Eli seems to have reached a certain sombre acceptance and, unlike Daniel, has found peace. This underscores the episode's emphasis on guilt, as Daniel's attempt to escape it only lands him a far worse fate American horror stories.

The creators of American Horror Story are reuniting to launch American Horror Stories, a horror anthology series created for FX and Hulu. Revolving around a new, unique horror story each episode, AHS follows various new characters in each episode as they experience their own horrific stories, often supernatural tales.

Pour

Sierra McCormick, Paris Jackson, Merrin Dungey, Matt Bomer, Naomi Grossman, John Carroll Lynch, Charles Melton, Billie Lourd

Release date

July 15, 2021

Seasons

2

Streaming service(s)

Hulu

Franchise(s)

American horror story

Expand