Does 'Backrooms' Set Up A Sequel?

It’s safe to say that after one weekend at the box office, Backrooms (2026) is a huge hit. The film made $118 million at the box office over the course of four days, becoming A24’s biggest original release of all time. It’s helped popularize the concept of liminal horror and has given that term mainstream recognition. Not only that, but as a series that originally debuted on YouTube before making its jump to the big screen, that alone makes it pretty noteworthy.

Already, people are beginning to wonder what the future of this series is, not just in regard to the film’s narrative, but also if this is the only time Backrooms will appear on the big screen. Is it destined to go back to YouTube, never to be seen again, or is this the start of a new horror franchise? Fans of Clark and Alex’s descent into the Backrooms may not see their stories continue, but there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that this isn’t the last time we’ll see them in theaters.

What Happens In ‘Backrooms’?

For much of the film’s hour and 45-minute runtime, Backrooms tends to focus on the lives of two people: Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mary, played by Renate Reinsve. Both enter the Backrooms, but it quickly becomes clear that they both have their own demons that are being manifested within it.

Without going into heavy spoilers, Clark is dissatisfied with his life. His marriage is falling apart, he’s prone to anger, and nobody really likes him. As for Mary, while she seems relatively well-adjusted on the surface and is a semi-known public figure thanks to her psychology VHS series, she’s also burdened with a lot of trauma from her childhood. Once Clark discovers the Backrooms, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and Mary, as his therapist, ventures in there to find him and try to bring him back. 

Like other liminal horror films, like I Saw The TV Glow (2024), there’s an unearthly vibe to Backrooms that creeps over you. You know something is wrong, and reality itself is broken, but it’s impossible to accurately explain or capture the feelings it evokes in the viewer. Isolation? Dread? Paranoia? All of that is present and blended into a cocktail of uncertainty. The Backrooms itself feels like a prison, and as Clark and Mary spend more time in it, it begins to reflect their own minds in uncanny, but most importantly, not intentionally malicious ways. 

Could There Be A Sequel To ‘Backrooms’?

The premise of Backrooms is perfect for a psychological horror film, but can the story of Clark and Mary go beyond a single film?

Frankly, no. Anyone who has seen the ending of the film knows Clark’s fate is set in stone, although there is a chance Mary could appear. Her ending is intentionally left ambiguous, and while it’s certainly possible for her to appear in a potential sequel, that isn’t likely given the continuity of the YouTube series. There, no one has ever escaped the Backrooms. The only way that Mary could appear in a hypothetical sequel is if either it takes place directly after the events of the first film, like how Evil Dead II (1987) picked up right where The Evil Dead (1981) left off, or if it follows some unnamed family member who is trying to find her and she’s shown via flashback footage. 

That doesn’t mean there can’t be a sequel, but it would have to be anthological in nature. Each film could potentially focus on a new person who finds a way into the Backrooms, and we document their journey, much like how [REC] (2007) and its sequels all have the same setting but follow new casts. There may be callbacks and homages to earlier entries and prior visitors to the Backrooms, but turning this into a franchise with standalone entries would be the most logical way to continue it.

Does Kane Parsons Want To Make A Sequel To ‘Backrooms’?

Of course, having the potential for a sequel is one thing, but if Kane Parsons, who also created the YouTube series, doesn’t want to continue it, then it’ll be very hard to do so. Thankfully, Parsons seems ready and willing to make one.

Following the release of the film, Parsons spoke to Variety about the possibility of a sequel. While he confirmed that he will be continuing his YouTube series, he mentioned that he has a contract with A24, and he’s definitely not done with Backrooms. He’s actively working on something new that’s related to Backrooms, but he can’t discuss it at this time, most likely because it’s in early development. He mentioned that Backrooms is meant to serve as a first step in a larger narrative, but exactly what that means is pretty vague.

If there is going to be an overarching narrative to Parsons’ future sequels, then there’s a strong chance that it’ll delve more into the Async Research Institute. While we never learn too much about them outside of a few lines of dialogue at the end of the film, there are still mysteries that remain. Why are they exploring the Backrooms? What do they want to use it for? Those are questions that can easily be answered in future films as we learn about Async’s goals and whether they’re for altruistic reasons or not.

If that is the direction the series wants to go in, it needs to remember the golden rule of horror: The more we know about the unknown, the less scary it becomes. The second the Backrooms becomes familiar to audiences, that’s when it loses its mystique.