Backrooms creepypasta drives new digital folklore era

The "Backrooms" story began with a 2019 image posted on 4chan showing a yellow‑carpeted, endless office space. An anonymous comment warned, “If you’re not careful you’ll end up in the Backrooms, where the smell of old carpet and fluorescent hum trap you forever.” The image sparked a collaborative narrative of liminal spaces, later expanded by Kane Parsons, who released a found‑footage short on YouTube in 2022. The short went viral, attracting production company A24, which announced plans to turn the concept into a feature film.

The phenomenon exemplifies the rise of creepypasta—short, unsettling internet‑borne tales that circulate anonymously across forums and social media. Originating from early‑2000s image boards like 4chan, these stories now form a “digital folklore” that reflects contemporary anxieties such as technology dependence, isolation, and loss of control. Well‑known examples include Slender Man and various “cursed media” legends. Scholars note that such online myths function like traditional oral folklore, evolving through collective contribution and embodying modern fears.