Eerie New Horror Movie Has Origins in Wisconsin
I cannot wait for the new movie Backrooms. Before we can talk about the movie, there is some history to explain.
The concept of "the Backrooms" came from a post on the website 4chan, where a user highlighted an empty room underscored by ugly yellow lighting and old wallpaper. It created a chain-reaction of other users that highlighted other aesthetics known as "liminal spaces." The concept is loosely defined as showcasing a large expanse of empty rooms, or the uneasy, eerie feeling that comes from seeing densely populated places (stores, waiting rooms, hotel lobbies) deserted.
READ MORE: A New Movie About an Iowa Family is Now Available to Stream
This Concept Has Origins in Wisconsin:
The concept of liminal spaces, or "backrooms," was expanded to a web-series by a teenager named Kane Parsons. Now, film production/distribution company A24 has made Parsons its youngest feature director (he's 20-years-old). The creepy internet meme has now been made into a movie called Backrooms, and is set to hit theaters on May 29th, just in time for the summer movie season to begin in earnest.
But what about that photo that started the whole liminal space/backrooms phenomenon? Where did it come from? Relatively recently, it was discovered that the image was the interior of an Oshkosh, WI business, located at 807 Oregon Street. More specifically, it was inside a HobbyTown store as it was being renovated.
A24 is Advertising Backrooms in Oshkosh:
Only fitting, A24 decided to put up a billboard advertising Backrooms in Oshkosh, acknowledging the concept's roots in the bustling Wisconsin town.
The lore for the idea of the Backrooms goes even deeper, however. In addition to a concept adjacent to liminal photography, the ensuing "creepypasta," or online-based horror-related legends, also extends the idea to that of a video-game. Any gamer has experienced this: when you inadvertently go beyond the world of the game and end up on the outside of "reality." You're not in purgatory. You're in a weird, liminal gray-space where there is nothing, no rules, and you cannot escape. That's the full Backrooms experience.
The full-length trailer of Backrooms masterfully merges both ideas related to this concept: the strangely fascinating and the ominous. Being that it's directed by a 20-year-old, there is a real possibility that this film, if it is a box office success, could be a watershed moment for Gen Z filmmakers and their ability to secure deals with major studios. No pressure, Kane Parsons.
Find out more about the Backrooms' origins in Oshkosh on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. Find out more about the upcoming film Backrooms on Wikipedia.