Director Kane Parsons designed the horror film “Backrooms” to end without clear narrative closure to fuel speculation about future installments [1].

This creative choice matters because the film's ambiguous conclusion has divided audiences and critics regarding the fates of the main characters, Phil and Async. By refusing to provide a definitive resolution, the production maintains the psychological tension central to the "liminal space" horror genre.

The film arrived in U.S. theaters on May 24, 2024 [2]. It achieved significant commercial success, breaking opening-weekend horror box-office records for a debut A24 release [1]. Parsons, who was 20 years old at the time of the film's release, intended for the experience to mirror the disorientation of the setting [1].

"The ending was meant to feel like you’re still stuck in the backrooms, with no clear way out," Parsons said [3].

While some interpretations suggest the finale clarifies the fates of the characters, other reports indicate the story remains entirely open [2, 4]. Discrepancies also exist regarding the final scenes; some accounts state Dr. Mary Kline died in the finale, while other sources maintain that no character death is confirmed [1, 4].

Parsons said that the lack of closure was a deliberate strategy to engage the viewer's imagination. "We wanted to leave audiences questioning what’s real and what’s not," Parsons said [1].

Despite the confusion over specific plot points, the director confirmed that the narrative structure serves a larger purpose for the franchise. "The open ending paves the way for the next chapter of the series," Parsons said [2].

“"The ending was meant to feel like you’re still stuck in the backrooms, with no clear way out."”

The decision to utilize an ambiguous ending reflects a broader trend in modern horror where the atmospheric experience of dread is prioritized over traditional plot resolution. By leaving the narrative open, A24 and Parsons are leveraging community theorizing and internet culture to sustain interest in the intellectual property, effectively turning the audience's search for answers into a marketing tool for future sequels.