THE TERRIFYING TALES OF: The Backrooms
Imagine waking up inside an endless maze spanning hundreds of millions of square miles, with no clear way out. The hum of fluorescent lights fills the air at full volume. Yellowing wallpaper peels from the walls. Damp, stained carpet stretches through rooms that never seem to end. Spaces once meant for people — offices, hallways, waiting rooms — now stripped of purpose and abandoned. A place where escape feels impossible, and entities are said to move just beyond your line of sight. And yet, it feels familiar. Like you’ve been here before.
In 2019, a single image of a liminal office space began circulating online, giving a name to a concept that felt instantly recognizable and spawning an entire genre of modern horror. But the idea itself didn’t begin there. Versions of it have existed in people’s subconscious for decades. Some dismiss it as fiction. Others see it as psychological. And some point to real-life experiences that feel eerily similar — moments of disorientation, repetition, and being trapped somewhere that shouldn’t exist.
Movie. Video game. Creepypasta. Fever dream. Purgatory.
Or something closer to reality than anyone wants to admit —
because some real-world stories sound disturbingly similar.
Episode Source Material
Modern Analyses, News Coverage & Media Reporting
ABC News. “The Backrooms and the Rise of Online Horror Storytelling.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://abcnews.go.com/US/backrooms-horror-storytelling-online/story?id=92623707.
Boing Boing. “Original Backrooms Photo of Yellowing Office Dungeon Finally Identified as Oshkosh HobbyTown.” May 30, 2024. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://boingboing.net/2024/05/30/original-backrooms-photo-of-yellowing-office-dungeon-finally-identified-as-oshkosh-hobbytown.html.
CNN. “Body Found in Hospital Stairwell Was Missing Patient.” October 9, 2013. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/justice/body-in-hospital-stairwell.
CNN. “Passenger Wakes Up Alone on Air Canada Plane.” June 24, 2019. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/24/americas/air-canada-passenger-wakes-empty-plane/index.html.
Forbes. Dani Di Placido. “Finally, the Internet Found the Backrooms.” May 30, 2024. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/05/30/finally-the-internet-found-the-backrooms/.
NBC Bay Area. “Body Found at SF General Is Missing Woman Lynne Spalding.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/body-found-at-sf-general-is-missing-woman-lynne-spalding/1955728/.
New Zealand Herald. “Nightmare in Bondi Junction Westfield: How Bernard Gore Died After Being Trapped in Shopping Centre Stairwell.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/nightmare-in-bondi-junction-westfield-how-bernard-gore-died-after-being-trapped-in-westfield-shopping-centre-stairwell/BU752MYBBK55OFKL4ET2YOIF7U/.
News.com.au. “Nightmare in Westfield: How Bernard Gore Died After Being Trapped in a Shopping Centre Stairwell.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/nightmare-in-westfield-how-bernard-gore-died-after-being-trapped-in-westfield-shopping-centre-stairwell/news-story/d06bc0b1917e88059015eab73e9c2867.
Official Reports & Government Sources
ABC News Australia. “Coronial Findings into the Death of Bernard Gore.” December 21, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-21/tasmanian-bernard-gore-stairwell-death-coronial/13002014.
Paris Catacombs. “History of the Site.” Official Website. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history/site-history.
Queensland Office of Industrial Relations. “Worker Fined Following Death of Member of the Public.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.owhsp.qld.gov.au/court-report/worker-fined-30000-following-death-member-public.
Psychology, Pop Culture & Online Reference
Inverse. “How Severance Turned the Modern Office into a Liminal Nightmare.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/severance-apple-tv-plus-interview-dan-erickson-ben-stiller-adam-scott.
Know Your Meme. “The Backrooms.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-backrooms.
Kotaku. “What Is the Backrooms?” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://kotaku.com/best-creepypasta-what-is-backrooms-tiktok-steam-reddit-1850298058.
Verywell Mind. “The Impact of Liminal Space on Your Mental Health.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-impact-of-liminal-space-on-your-mental-health-5204371.
Wiktionary. “Noclip.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/noclip.
Community Research, Internet Archives & Primary Online Sources
Internet Archive (Wayback Machine). Archived HobbyTown Oshkosh webpage. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20030503094137/http://www.hobbytownoshkosh.com:80/revolution%20raceway,%20020903.htm.
LiveJournal. “Original Backrooms Photo Discussion.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/128519113.html.
Reddit. r/Backrooms. “Original Backrooms Post Has Been Found.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/backrooms/comments/1d3o2mk/original_backrooms_post_has_been_found_on_the/.
Reddit. r/UnresolvedMysteries. “The Missing Man in the Catacombs of Paris.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/de7yub/the_missing_man_in_the_catacombs_of_paris/.
