Backrooms brings the internet horror trend behind liminal spaces to life
The film 'Backrooms' by Kane Parsons explores the unsettling concept of liminal spaces, which are transitional areas that evoke feelings of eeriness. Originally popularized through online forums, the idea has now been adapted into a theatrical release featuring actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. This trend reflects a growing interest in horror narratives that originate from internet culture.
- ▪Kane Parsons's debut film, Backrooms, brings the concept of liminal spaces to the big screen.
- ▪The term 'liminality' was first introduced by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in 1909.
- ▪The Backrooms concept originated from a 4chan post in 2019, describing endless, eerie spaces.
- ▪The film is produced by A24 and features British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.
- ▪Online horror stories like Backrooms and Slender Man have gained popularity due to their built-in audiences.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film-and-tv/film/article-backrooms-brings-the-internet-horror-trend-behind-liminal-spaces-to/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 29 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000 |
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Open this photo in gallery:Renate Reinsve in a scene from Backrooms.Uncredited/The Associated PressShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountMost Canadians have encountered a liminal space without even knowing it. Think empty airport lounges, hallways in windowless buildings, abandoned strip malls. Now filmmaker Kane Parsons‘s debut film, Backrooms, brings these creepy spaces to the big screen.The idea of “liminality” comes from anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in 1909. He used it to describe the awkwardness and uncertainty someone feels in the middle of a rite of passage. It’s the off-kilter feeling of being at the threshold of transition – a limbo between two states of life.
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