The Backrooms

The Backrooms began as a single unsettling image on 4chan in 2019, posted by an anonymous user who asked viewers to imagine a place you can only reach by noclipping out of reality. That picture of a vast, windowless room bathed in sickly yellow light sparked a collective nightmare. The photo itself was taken in 2002 at a former furniture store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during renovations, but its true origin remained a mystery until 2024. What started as a creepypasta quickly grew into a sprawling mythos, with writers adding interconnected levels, each more surreal than the last, and hostile entities that stalk the endless hallways.

The Backrooms are a prime example of the liminal space aesthetic, capturing a feeling of nostalgic unease. Fans have adapted the concept into video games and short films, but the biggest leap came in early 2022 when YouTuber Kane Parsons released a chilling short film. His series, which ran 24 episodes, went viral and brought the Backrooms into the mainstream. Parsons later directed a feature film adaptation produced by A24, released in May 2026. The Backrooms remain a testament to how an anonymous post can evolve into a modern horror icon, fueled by the creativity of its online community.

At its core, the Backrooms taps into a primal fear of being lost in an infinite, indifferent space. The original 4chan thread offered no explanations, just a photo and a suggestion, leaving the terror to the imagination. That open-endedness allowed the myth to spread and mutate, with each new level or creature adding to the dread. Whether explored through text, gameplay, or film, the Backrooms feel like a place that has always existed, just waiting to be found.[edit]