I’m a little late to the party.
The Backrooms is a popular internet creepypasta and urban legend that describes an eerie and seemingly endless series of empty, monotonous rooms and hallways. The concept began with a post on 4chan in 2019, where users were encouraged to imagine what it would be like to “noclip” out of reality and end up in a strange, liminal space.
The original Backrooms image posted on 4chan, of a HobbyTown under renovation.
The most common depiction of the Backrooms features:
1. **Endless Rooms**: The backrooms are often described as consisting of endless yellow-tinted rooms with stained carpets, buzzing fluorescent lights, and an overwhelming sense of isolation.
2. **No Escape**: Once someone finds themselves in the Backrooms, the narrative suggests that escape is nearly impossible. The rooms and hallways seem to stretch on forever, making navigation disorienting.
3. **Entities**: Various entities or creatures are rumored to inhabit these spaces, adding to the horror element. These beings can be hostile, and encounters with them heighten the fear of being trapped.
4. **Liminal Spaces**: The Backrooms evoke feelings of nostalgia and unease, often representing places that are familiar yet unsettling, like abandoned buildings, empty malls, or deserted office spaces.
The Backrooms have inspired countless stories, artworks, and games, contributing to a growing subculture of horror and exploration of the unknown in digital and real-world spaces.
Kane Pixels, a YouTuber and filmmaker at age 16, created a widely acclaimed series based on the Backrooms, a popular internet creepypasta concept. His series, titled The Backrooms (Found Footage), debuted in January 2022 and quickly gained attention for its cinematic quality and compelling storytelling.
How it started: Kane Pixels was only sixteen years old when he launched the series, blending 3D animation and live-action footage to craft a surreal, unsettling world. The series begins with a found footage-style video of a cameraman accidentally “noclipping” into the Backrooms—a seemingly infinite maze of yellow, carpeted hallways. The eerie realism and immersive sound design captured viewers’ imaginations, leading to millions of views and sparking intense fan speculation.
Where it’s going: Kane’s Backrooms series has evolved into an expansive narrative exploring the origins of the Backrooms. Later episodes introduce the “Async Research Institute,” a fictional organization conducting experiments that inadvertently connect to the Backrooms. The series delves deeper into the lore, including hints about the dangers lurking within and the motivations behind Async’s experiments. Kane has indicated plans to continue developing the story, with fans eagerly awaiting new installments.
The project has been praised for its creativity, world-building, and the young creator’s talent, setting a high standard for independent horror storytelling on YouTube.
Start your journey down the rabbit hole here…
Heres the whole rabbit hole!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVAh-MgDVqvDUEq6qDXqORBioE4Yhol_z
Some people have tried to figure out the whole “lore” behind Kanes internet series.
I have personally been interested in the idea of “liminal spaces” for a long time, and I only wish I have photographed some that are often found in many of the customer offices I have visited. You are collected at reception and taken your meeting room, which is often through various floors or offices that are in the middle of renovation or downsizing. They can often be a huge empty room, blinds down with just a sofa, a plant and a printer, “it’s this way” the customer will say leading you through room after the room of weird Erie empty spaces.
Maybe this is the reason I have recently become very interested in the rough photogram scanning of spaces. It’s a quick way to grab a three dimensional version of a place for reuse in 3-D, or VR.
