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Culture & Lifestyle • Internet Meme

The Backrooms

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

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

The Backrooms are a fictional internet horror concept that originated from a 2019 anonymous post on 4chan. They are commonly depicted as an endless extradimensional maze of empty, yellow-lit rooms reached by “noclipping” out of reality. The concept became a widely recognized example of liminal-space imagery and creepypasta storytelling.

Origin

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.

Description

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.

Internet culture

After its origin, the concept spread through memes, wikis, videos, and collaborative fiction. Online communities developed extensive lore, including numbered levels and fictional creatures.

Adaptations

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.

Key facts

  • The Backrooms originated as a 2019 anonymous 4chan post describing a strange empty room.
  • The concept is associated with liminal spaces that feel uncanny and transitional.
  • Typical Backrooms imagery includes yellowish walls, fluorescent lighting, and endless repetition.
  • The idea expanded into collaborative internet lore with levels, entities, and stories.
  • It became the basis for a popular analog horror web series and other fan works.
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Canadian context

The Backrooms 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.

Frequently asked questions

What are The Backrooms?
The Backrooms are a fictional internet horror setting depicted as an endless maze of empty, uncanny rooms outside normal reality.
Where did The Backrooms come from?
They originated from a 2019 anonymous 4chan post that paired a strange image with a short horror description.
What does “noclipping” mean in The Backrooms?
It refers to passing out of reality into the Backrooms, borrowing a video-game term for moving through solid objects.
Why are The Backrooms associated with liminal spaces?
Because they are usually shown as transitional, empty, and psychologically unsettling places that feel both familiar and wrong.
Are The Backrooms a real place?
No. They are a fictional concept that exists in internet culture, not a real physical location.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms
    Supports: Origin in a 2019 4chan thread; fictional location; liminal-space and creepypasta association
  2. Simple English Wikipedia — https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms
    Supports: Description of yellow rooms, moist carpet smell, buzzing lights, and noclipping
  3. Wikipédia — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms
    Supports: Fictional place from a 2019 4chan thread; extradimensional empty rooms; liminal-space association
  4. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backrooms_(web_series)
    Supports: Backrooms web series created by Kane Parsons based on the creepypasta