Ep. 123 The Backrooms

In this episode of *Brown Brothers Haunting Hour*, hosts Ryan and Tyler Brown dive deep into the phenomenon of the Backrooms, a viral creepypasta that has evolved into a full-fledged horror mythos. They explore the origins of the Backrooms concept, tracing it back to a 2019 4chan post that described a liminal space of endless yellow-walled, carpeted rooms stretching across 600 million square miles. The brothers unpack the psychological underpinnings of why liminal spaces—like empty schools, abandoned malls, or deserted Kmart stores—evoke such primal unease, linking it to collective childhood memories and the absence of people in places that should be populated. They discuss how the Backrooms may not be a physical location but a metaphysical state, possibly triggered by a rare quantum alignment of atoms ("no-clipping") that could theoretically phase someone into an alternate reality. The episode also touches on the broader world of creepypasta, referencing iconic figures like Slender Man and Jeff the Killer, and examines how these stories have influenced real-world behavior. The hosts express excitement over A24’s upcoming film adaptation, praising its trailer and the director’s roots in the original online lore. They close with a reflective discussion on the emotional resonance of liminal spaces and the fear of being trapped in a place that feels both familiar and alien.