The Backrooms

The Backrooms is a horror concept that originated from a large collaborative universe. It describes an endless, maze-like structure of empty, fluorescent-lit rooms that seem to exist outside normal reality. According to the idea, people can “noclip” out of reality and end up trapped in this strange, in-between space.

The original concept began as an online post describing a yellow, carpeted office environment with buzzing fluorescent lights, damp walls, and an unsettling sense of isolation. This image resonated with many people because it felt familiar yet unnatural, leading to the expansion of the Backrooms across forums, videos, and storytelling platforms.

In expanded versions of the story, the Backrooms is described as having multiple levels, each with different environments and dangers. Some levels are empty and quiet, while others are said to contain strange entities or distorted physics. A key concept behind the Backrooms is “liminal space.” Liminal spaces are locations that feel empty, transitional, or abandoned—such as empty hallways, parking garages, or office buildings after hours. 

Some interpretations of the Backrooms theory connect it to broader conspiracy-like ideas about reality glitches or simulation errors. In these versions, the Backrooms is imagined not just as fictional horror, but as a possible “layer” of reality that exists outside normal perception. 

the Backrooms has become a major part of online culture. It has inspired games, short films, analog horror series, and countless reinterpretations that explore isolation, reality distortion, and fear of endless space.

The question remains: is the Backrooms simply a creative internet horror myth, or is it real?