Freaky Friday Files: What are The Backrooms?

Hi friends! Happy Friday! I'm so excited to be writing my Freaky Friday Files again (although I do struggle trying to find topics sometimes). In today's Freaky Friday Files, I want to explore something known as "The Backrooms" - and the reason I want to explore this phenomenon/spooky topic is because I keep hearing it everywhere and I literally had no idea what they were. So let's get into it! #TheBackrooms

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Update 6th September 2024 - I MADE A YT VIDEO ABOUT THIS!

What are The Backrooms?

Ah, yes, we're going straight to Wikipedia for this one - so according to Wikipedia, "The Backrooms are a fictional location originating from a 2019 4chan thread. One of the best known examples of the liminal space aesthetic, the Backrooms are usually portrayed as an impossibly large extradimensional expanse of empty rooms, accessed by exiting ("no-clipping out-of" reality)."

First, some definitions of things in The Backrooms definition to help us make sense of things

• 4chan is an "image-based" forum type of community online where anyone can post content and do so anonymously. A lot of stuff is posted on 4chan from creepy AF things to the more innocent video game type of content.

• Liminal space aesthetic are empty/abandoned spaces that appear eerie or quite creepy to those looking in.

• No Clipping refers to a video game cheat code which Wikipedia says is "A cheat that allows players to pass through normally impenetrable objects - walls, ceilings, and floors - by disabling clipping."

The History of "The Backrooms" is a bit blurred but according to a Reddit thread, the original 4chan post was archived and can be found "here."

The OG Backrooms can also be described with the following characteristics:

• Yellow wallpaper

• Old, musty carpeting (usually damp)

• Buzzing fluorescent lights

• Endlessness (kinda like a labyrinth with no apparent way out)

• And, in some versions, entities

This is the OG image

Original "The Backrooms" Image

The above photograph was posted to 4chan where an anonymous user asked other users "to post disquieting images that just feel off". However, it wasn't the particular image that caused a stir, it was one particular comment on this thread. The comment is as follows:

If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you

— Anonymous, 4chan (May 13, 2019).

This comment is termed an original "creepypasta" - a creepypasta is usually some sort of fictional horror/scary story that is continuously shared around the internet. The intent of such a story is to scare readers - often creepypasta's are UGC (user-generated content) and can sometimes be adapted/changed over time.

Following the beginning of The Backrooms creepypasta, a lot of users began sharing their own stories on subreddits on Reddit such as /r/backrooms and /r/creepypasta. From there, a "fandom" of sorts blossomed and creators would often add additional floors or levels to the original backroom. With this fandom, it eventually split into two - those who preferred the original backrooms and those who didn't like the new creations (and so /r/truebackrooms was created). The subreddit True Backrooms focused solely on the original version of The Backrooms.

/r/backrooms gained a massive following and by March 2022, it had over 157,000 users. As of today, the subreddit has +297,000 users (August, 2024). ABC News (2022) said:

"Unlike the fandoms that crop up around existing properties - where there is a clear distinction between "canonical" storytelling and fan fiction - no one person owns The Backrooms, which means drawing a line between authentic storytelling and jokes is more difficult."

This online horror storytelling even expanded onto other social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube! Apparently, The Backrooms even inspired the TV show Severance. Quick sidenote here - what the h*ck was I doing in 2022 that I just didn't notice all of this going on? I guess I was busy working a lot and lived alone so didn't watch or read as much scary content but honestly, how did I miss this? I've heard good things about Severance, I might need to watch it - I do like Adam Scott.

Before I talk about more stuff to do with The Backrooms, I thought we could take a look at some images from the /r/truebackrooms subreddit as a lot of them are very unsettling so I can kinda see why the creepypasta took off.

Image 1: "Locations with similar psychological impact to the backrooms" from user /u/Aongumosh

Image 2: "The Basement" from user /u/LitheBeep

Image 3: "The Same Yellow Walls" from user /u/ignoreme15

Image 4: "dead end" from user /u/doomguytv

Image 5: "Eternity" from user /u/Papa_Wuise

I guess the longer you stare at these images, the weirder they become. Maybe that's the trick, just don't stare at them too long LOL.

Many questions arise because of The Backrooms such as is this where the internet aesthetic liminal spaces began? and why do we feel so eerie looking at these images? However, one thing is for sure, we definitely now know where the original image originated from (what a sentence LOL).

If you've been on the internet for a while now (like me) or just watched any sort of YouTube video on internet mysteries, then you probably know what the "Wayback Machine" is - but if you don't know, basically it's a digital archive of the internet - remember when they said "if you put it online, it will always be there". Yeah, that's what they meant by that. Anyway, in May of 2024, people using the Wayback Machine were able to trace the OG The Backrooms image to March 2003 on an archived webpage. It turns out that the particular image was taken during a renovation of a former furniture store that had temporary walls (and lots of fake inner walls) in Wisconsin. This shop was known as Rohner's Home Furnishings and then was acquired by a different tenant, HobbyTown in 1994.

The store underwent renovations in 2002 and progress was captured by a Sony Cybershot Camera (I remember those). The following year, in March 2003, the photos were uploaded to a renovation blog dedicated to the renovations in Oshkosh (the city in Wisconsin this photo originated from). Hobbytown eventually converted the shop into a radio-controlled car racing track and the original layout of the room is gone. Spooky.

The Backrooms have also been adapted into other short films and even video games and I want to discuss this for a moment here because as I write this blog post literally ALL I can think about is Jean Baudrillard's theory of "Hyper-reality" - which is the condition in which reality is replaced or blurred by simulations of reality. In hyperreality, the distinction between what is real and what is simulated becomes unclear, leading to a situation where people can no longer tell the difference between the two. Baudrillard argued that in contemporary society, simulations—such as images, media, and symbols—become more real to us than reality itself. This idea is central to his critiques of modern media and consumer culture #hyperreality.

I'll break this down a bit more!

• Simulated Spaces: The Backrooms, as depicted in games and media, are themselves simulations—artificial environments that imitate or distort reality. They present a world that feels real in some ways (familiar rooms, textures, and objects) but is fundamentally unreal, endless, and disorienting.

• The Blurring of Reality and Simulation: In the context of the Backrooms, hyperreality is experienced through the blurring of boundaries between the real world and the simulated world. The idea of "noclipping" out of reality into the Backrooms plays into the hyperreal concept that reality and simulation are intertwined and indistinguishable.

• Psychological Displacement: The Backrooms can evoke feelings of unease, alienation, and existential dread, as they represent a world that is familiar yet fundamentally wrong—a hallmark of hyperreal environments. This psychological displacement is a key aspect of Baudrillard's hyperreality, where the familiar becomes unsettling because it no longer corresponds to the real.

Additionally:

• Video Games: Some games are specifically designed around the Backrooms concept, immersing players in a labyrinthine space that mimics real-world environments but is subtly or overtly off-kilter. These games often play with hyperreal themes by presenting environments that are both familiar and alien, creating a sense of disorientation and unease.

• Internet Culture and Memes: The Backrooms have become a meme within internet culture, often depicted in images and videos that emphasize their uncanny, hyperreal quality. These representations play on the idea of spaces that are almost, but not quite, real—places that exist at the edge of our reality, blending the known and the unknow.

• Found Footage and Horror Media: The Backrooms have also inspired a subgenre of horror media, including found footage videos that depict explorers encountering these spaces. The hyperreal aspect comes into play as these videos are often presented as real or plausible, even though they depict impossible or surreal scenario.

The Backrooms function as a potent symbol of the disorienting consequences of hyperreality in today's culture. By depicting a realm that is both recognisable and completely foreign, the Backrooms evoke the concerns and worries linked to disconnecting from reality in a time dominated by media and imitation. The never-ending, labyrinthine quality of The Backrooms can be interpreted as a portrayal of the countless simulations and worlds we confront in the era of digital technology, where the distinction between genuine and simulated encounters grows more indistinct.

So what are some examples of such media? TW: watch/play these games at your own discretion, they're kinda scary.

Video Games

• Inside the Backrooms (Steam)

• The Backroom: Found Footage (Steam)

• Escape the Backrooms (Steam)

• Noclipped (Steam)

• The Backrooms Project (Steam)

That reminds me, I haven't been able to login to my Steam account because I forgot my password and every time I try and do one of the recaptcha things to send the reset think, it thinks I'm a robot, creepy.

On YouTube and other media

• I would say the most notable short horror film comes from a YouTube user known as Kane Pixels (Kane Parsons is his real name I believe) called The Backrooms (Found Footage). The premise of the short horror is that a filmmaker (using VHS-style film) accidentally enters the Backrooms in the 1990s and is pursued by a monster. I also believe this is a series on his channel and is going to be adapted into a film.

• 1 Year in The Backrooms (Found Footage Compilation) from Youtube user Return to Render

• JoshVFX Backrooms | Part 1-5 (FULL SERIES) from YouTube user JoshVFX - but this is from a TikTok series. It's really well done IMO.

• Are the Backrooms Actually Real? from YouTube user Groovy Gavin - I think he's taken these from some of the video games and gone to find what the images are based on and analysing them (if my understanding is correct).

• I Built the Backrooms in my Bedroom! From YouTube user Norme - this one is kinda funny and less scary.

So now that we've seen some media examples, let's talk about two other concepts

1. A Glitch in the Matrix - A term taken from the movie, The Matrix, and can be used to describe something like a person experiencing de ja vu or an unlikely/irregular occurance (aka something we perceive to be strange/weird/odd).

2. Uncanny Valley - this is an "effect is a hypothesized psychological and aesthetic relation between an object's degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object." For example, something that might be super close to human-ness but isn't quite there.

How is a Glitch in the Matrix and The Backrooms related?

• Reality Malfunction: Both The Backrooms and the Glitch in the Matrix involve the idea that reality can break down or malfunction. The Backrooms are often described as a space you accidentally "noclip" into—a sign that something has gone wrong with the fabric of reality. Similarly, a Glitch in the Matrix suggests a temporary failure in the simulated reality, revealing its artificial nature.

• Disorientation and Alienation: In both concepts, there is a strong sense of disorientation and alienation. People who experience a Glitch in the Matrix often feel a sense of unease, as if they’ve momentarily glimpsed a truth that they aren’t supposed to see. This mirrors the experience of finding oneself in The Backrooms—a place that looks somewhat familiar but is deeply unsettling and wrong.

• Existential Horror: The fear of discovering that reality is not what it seems is a core element of both The Backrooms and the glitch in the Matrix. The Backrooms represent a hidden, infinite space that exists outside normal perception, while a Glitch in the Matrix hints at the possibility that everything we know is an illusion. Both concepts tap into existential horror, where the familiar world is revealed to be fragile and deceptive.

• Digital and Simulated Worlds: The Matrix explicitly deals with the idea of a simulated reality, and The Backrooms can be interpreted as a similar concept—a space that exists as a kind of "bug" or unintended consequence within a simulated or digital world. In video games and online media, The Backrooms are often depicted as glitchy, fragmented spaces, which aligns with the idea of a reality that is imperfectly constructed or maintained.

• Online Culture and Storytelling: Both concepts have been popularised and expanded through online communities and storytelling. People often share their "Glitch in the Matrix" experiences on forums and social media, much like how The Backrooms started as a creepypasta and evolved through community contributions. The collaborative nature of these stories reinforces the idea that reality is malleable and subject to interpretation.

And what about the Uncanny Valley? I would argue it is possible to connect these two things as both concepts deal with the discomfort and unease that arise when something familiar is slightly off or not quite right.

• Familiar Yet Distorted: The uncanny valley is all about the tension between familiarity and distortion. Similarly, The Backrooms are spaces that feel familiar on the surface—rooms that resemble offices, basements, or other mundane environments—but are slightly "off" in a way that makes them deeply unsettling. This distortion is what makes The Backrooms so unnerving, much like how a nearly human-like robot or digital figure can be disturbing when it doesn’t fully meet our expectations of human behaviour or appearance.

• Eerie Ambiguity: In both the uncanny valley and The Backrooms, the discomfort comes from ambiguity. The Backrooms present a world that is almost recognisable but contains elements that are subtly wrong—endless corridors, inconsistent architecture, and an oppressive atmosphere. This eeriness is similar to what people feel when encountering something in the uncanny valley: the ambiguous nature of the experience triggers a sense of unease because it hovers between known and unknown, real and artificial.

• Existential Unease: The uncanny valley taps into deep-seated fears about identity, reality, and the nature of being human. The Backrooms evoke a similar existential unease, as they represent a place that is outside of our normal understanding of reality—a place where the rules we rely on no longer apply. This parallels the discomfort we feel when something challenges our assumptions about what is real or normal.

• Mundane Horror: Both the uncanny valley and The Backrooms derive much of their horror from the mundane. In the uncanny valley, it’s the subtle, almost imperceptible differences that cause unease—something that looks human but has lifeless eyes, unnatural movements, or an uncanny expression. In The Backrooms, the horror comes from the banality of the environment—dull, endless rooms that should be safe and familiar but instead are traps. The combination of the ordinary with the unsettling makes both concepts powerful sources of psychological horror.

• Psychological Impact: The uncanny valley and The Backrooms both have a significant psychological impact. Encountering something in the uncanny valley can make us question our perceptions and instincts, just as The Backrooms can make us question the stability of the world around us. Both play on our fear of the unknown and the discomfort that arises when our expectations are subverted.

I don't really know how to end this blog post! But basically, in this week's Freaky Friday Files we have discussed what The Backrooms are, gone over some examples, and connected the concept of The Backrooms to some sociological topics for you to enjoy. I have also provided examples of media of The Backroom as well as some images from Reddit. I feel like we've all learned something today - I really feel like I have.

Thank you so much for reading and I will be back for another Freaky Friday Files next week!

Much love,

Ash xoxo

Extra Readings

• Barroso, P., 2022. From reality to the hyperreality of simulation. Texto Livre, 15, p.e37426.

• Baudrillard, J., 1994. Simulacra and simulation. The U of Michigan P.

• Greenshields, W., 2023. Another Alternative Reality? Exploring the Backrooms with Žižek. International Journal of Žižek Studies, 17(1).

• Turchin, A. and Yampolskiy, R., 2019. Glitch in the Matrix: Urban Legend or Evidence of the Simulation?

• Zhang, J., Li, S., Zhang, J.Y., Du, F., Qi, Y. and Liu, X., 2020. A literature review of the research on the uncanny valley. In Cross-Cultural Design. User Experience of Products, Services, and Intelligent Environments: 12th International Conference, CCD 2020, Held as Part of the 22nd HCI International Conference, HCII 2020, Copenhagen, Denmark, July 19–24, 2020, Proceedings, Part I 22 (pp. 255-268). Springer International Publishing.

• https://www.vice.com/en/article/is-the-backrooms-real/

• https://abcnews.go.com/US/backrooms-horror-storytelling-online/story?id=92623707

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/05/30/finally-the-internet-found-the-backrooms/

• https://collider.com/best-analog-horror-series-youtube-channels/

• https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/62125/1/a24-youngest-ever-director-kane-parsons-the-backrooms-creepypasta-into-cinema

  
  

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