The Backrooms

The Backrooms are a fictional internet horror concept that began with a 2019 4chan post and image.

The Backrooms are a fictional internet horror concept that began with a 2019 4chan post and image, depicting an endless extradimensional maze of empty, yellow-lit rooms reached by “noclipping” out of reality.

What it is

The Backrooms are usually portrayed as a vast, nearly endless complex of empty rooms and corridors. Common visual details include monotonous yellow walls, buzzing fluorescent lights, and damp carpet, creating an unsettling liminal-space atmosphere. The concept is strongly associated with liminal spaces—places that feel uncanny, transitional, or in-between.

Origin and spread

The Backrooms began in 2019 on 4chan, where an anonymous post used a photo of an empty, yellow-tinted room as the basis for a horror idea. The original concept described falling into the Backrooms through “noclipping,” a term borrowed from video games. After its origin, the concept spread through memes, wikis, videos, and collaborative fiction, with online communities developing extensive lore including numbered levels and fictional creatures.

Adaptations and cultural impact

The Backrooms inspired fan projects across multiple media, especially horror video content and web series. One of the best-known adaptations is the Backrooms analog horror web series created by Kane Parsons. The concept has relevance to Canadian readers mainly as part of global internet culture, especially in online horror, memes, and fan-made video content shared widely in Canada.