The concept originated from a 2019 4chan post where a user shared an image of a "liminal space"—a transition area that feels eerie and unsettling when empty. The accompanying text explained that "no-clipping" out of reality in the wrong places leads to the Backrooms. This term, borrowed from video game terminology, describes passing through physical barriers that should be solid.
While the spaces are mostly empty, certain "levels" are inhabited by hostile entities like Hounds (dog-like creatures) and Skinstealers (beings that mimic human appearances). 3. Expansion of the Mythos backroom
What began as a single image has evolved into a massive collaborative fiction project: The concept originated from a 2019 4chan post