The Surprise Behind the First Backrooms Set
When actor Chiwetel Ejiofor stepped onto the set of A24’s upcoming Backrooms film, he assumed he was walking into a space that had been built before. The short films and games that populate the Backrooms mythos look so convincingly real, it is easy to imagine they were filmed in an actual abandoned warehouse or a disused office building somewhere. For a phenomenon that has existed almost entirely in digital form since its creepypasta origins, this transition to a tangible location marks a significant milestone in horror filmmaking.
The set spans a staggering 30,000 square feet. That is roughly half the size of a typical Walmart supercenter, or about the area of seven standard basketball courts laid side by side. Director Kane Parsons told The Hollywood Reporter that the space was so expansive that some people actually got lost navigating through it. Ejiofor described the environment as vast and complicated to traverse, but he appreciated having a visceral, tactile set to perform on. This physicality, he noted, made the experience far more immersive than acting against a green screen would have been.
Why a Physical Set Surprised Even the Cast
Ejiofor is not alone in assuming that previous Backrooms productions had used real locations. The original creepypasta, which began as a simple image posted online in 2019, depicts a seemingly endless maze of yellow-walled rooms and corridors. Countless fan-made videos and games have replicated this aesthetic so faithfully that many viewers believe the footage was captured in some forgotten institutional building. The inspiration for the Backrooms actually comes from a real place: a Hobbytown in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, whose layout and colour scheme reportedly sparked the original creator’s imagination. However, no physical set matching the Backrooms existed before Parsons built this one.
The surprise that Ejiofor expressed reflects a broader question: how do you build something that feels infinite, liminal, and unsettling when you are limited by the laws of physics and budget? The answer, in this case, was to construct a massive labyrinth that deliberately disorients anyone inside. Parsons himself was buzzing with excitement about the space, and that energy translated to the cast. Ejiofor noted that once he understood this was the first physical set dedicated to the Backrooms concept, he felt a renewed sense of purpose in bringing the story to life.
The Scale That Makes the Backrooms Feel Real
One challenge of adapting a digital horror phenomenon to a physical film set is preserving the eerie sense of endless space. In the online shorts and games, the Backrooms feel like a place that extends forever, with no exit in sight. A movie set, by contrast, has walls and ceilings. Parsons tackled this problem by building interconnected rooms and hallways that loop back on themselves, creating the illusion of a never-ending environment. The 30,000-square-foot expanse allowed for multiple distinct zones: narrow corridors, cluttered storage areas, and larger open rooms that mimic the claustrophobic yet strangely empty aesthetic of the original.
For horror fans who have only experienced the Backrooms through a screen, seeing these spaces rendered in full physical detail may feel like stepping into a familiar nightmare made real. That effect depends on the set design feeling organic rather than artificial. Ejiofor commented that the set did not feel like a typical Hollywood backlot construction. It felt lived-in, dirty, and disorienting—exactly what a liminal space should evoke.
The First Backrooms Set as a Character in the Film
In many horror films, the environment functions as more than a backdrop. The Overlook Hotel in The Shining or the xenomorph nest in Alien are characters in their own right. The first backrooms set appears to play a similar role here. Because the Backrooms are defined by their emptiness and monotony, the set itself must carry the emotional weight of isolation and dread. Every flickering fluorescent light, every peeling strip of wallpaper, every identical door contributes to the psychological pressure felt by the characters.
Ejiofor hinted that the set’s complexity made the acting process more engaging. Instead of relying on imagination to picture a digital corridor, he could literally feel the narrowness of the hallways and hear the echo of his footsteps. This tactile experience likely influenced his performance, grounding the supernatural elements in a recognizable physical space. For viewers, knowing that the actors navigated a real labyrinth rather than a soundstage with CGI backgrounds might enhance the film’s authenticity.
How the Set Challenges the Digital Original
The original Backrooms content thrived on low-fi charm. Grainy images, shaky camera work, and indistinct details made the liminal spaces feel like forgotten corners of the real world. A big-budget film with a massive set runs the risk of losing that scrappy, underground appeal. However, Parsons seems to have embraced the challenge by making the set feel deliberately worn and institutional, rather than sleek or polished. The scale itself becomes part of the horror: the sheer size of the space makes escape feel impossible, while the repetitive design saps any sense of progress.
Some horror enthusiasts worry that a physical set might cheapen the surreal, dreamlike quality of the Backrooms. But the opposite might be true. By forcing actors and crew to move through an actual maze, the film captures spontaneous reactions of confusion and disorientation. These responses are difficult to fake on a green screen. The decision to build the first backrooms set as a real, navigable space likely strengthens the film’s connection to the creepypasta’s roots, even while elevating its production values.
What the First Backrooms Set Means for Creepypasta Adaptations
Creepypasta stories have a long history of inspiring film and television, with mixed results. Slender Man flopped critically, while The Mandela Catalogue remains mostly a YouTube phenomenon. The Backrooms, with its endless yellow corridors and lurking entities, represents one of the most visually distinctive creepypasta concepts. A successful adaptation requires respecting the source material while expanding it for a different medium. Building a physical set rather than relying entirely on digital effects signals a commitment to the original’s tactile, unsettling mood.
Parsons, who originally gained fame through his own Backrooms short films, understands the community’s expectations. By creating a tangible labyrinth, he pays homage to the countless fan creators who imagined what these rooms might look like. The set also serves as a practical solution to a creative problem: how do you film something that is supposed to stretch infinitely? The answer, it turns out, is to build so much of it that even the cast and crew start wandering.
Ejiofor’s late realization that this was the first physical set underscores how deeply the Backrooms have permeated popular culture. Many people already feel as though they have visited this place through online media. Now, with a 30,000-square-foot structure waiting to be explored, the line between digital legend and cinematic reality blurs further.
Imagine Being a Longtime Backrooms Fan on Set
Picture someone who has spent hours watching every Backrooms short, reading the wiki, playing the indie games. They know every detail of the lore. When they hear about A24’s adaptation, excitement mixes with skepticism. Can a Hollywood film capture the eerie simplicity that made the Backrooms so compelling? Then imagine that fan walking onto the actual first backrooms set. The smell of old carpet, the flickering bulbs, the identical doors stretching in every direction. Suddenly, the digital horror becomes tactile. The fan might feel a chill, not because of a monster, but because the space itself registers as wrong.
That immersive quality is exactly what practical effects excel at. Unlike CGI, which can feel detached, a physical set engages multiple senses. The uneven floor, the muffled acoustics, the slight temperature drop in certain corridors—these details contribute to a sense of unease that no computer-generated image can replicate. For horror fans who have only known the Backrooms through screens, the set offers a rare opportunity to experience the liminal space in person, even if only through the film’s cinematography.
You may also enjoy reading: iOS 27 Design Leak: 5 Features I Sounded Off For.
Balancing Practical Effects with Digital Enhancements
Even the most massive set has limits. The Backrooms are supposed to be infinite, and no soundstage can achieve that. Filmmakers often combine practical sets with digital extensions to create the illusion of endless space. Parsons likely used a mix of forced perspective, clever lighting, and subtle CGI to make the corridors seem longer than they actually are. The 30,000-square-foot footprint serves as a foundation, but post-production work can stretch those boundaries further.
One technique involves building modular wall sections that can be rearranged to create different paths. Another uses blue screens at the ends of hallways to digitally add more rooms. The key is that the actors are still moving through real environments; the digital additions only enhance what is already there. This hybrid approach preserves the organic feel of the set while solving the infinite-space problem. Ejiofor’s comments suggest that the practical elements dominated his experience, meaning the film’s visual effects probably support rather than overshadow the physical set.
Why This Set Matters for Horror Game Players
The Backrooms originated online, but its most devoted fans might be horror game players. Games like The Backrooms: Escape and The Backrooms: Level 1 have millions of plays, and the creepypasta’s aesthetic translates naturally to interactive media. For these players, seeing a faithful adaptation on a big screen carries extra weight. They have spent hours navigating digital mazes, and now they get to see a physical interpretation crafted with care.
Parsons likely considered this audience when designing the set. The repetitive, disorienting layout mirrors the experience of wandering through a procedurally generated game level. The fact that some people literally got lost on set reinforces this connection. It suggests that the film will recreate the same confusion and helplessness that players feel when they cannot find the exit in a Backrooms game. For horror game enthusiasts, the first backrooms set represents a bridge between two mediums—a tangible version of a digital nightmare.
The Real-Life Inspiration: Wisconsin Hobbytown Oshkosh
Many fans might not know that the Backrooms have a real-world origin point. The original image that started the phenomenon was supposedly based on a specific location: Hobbytown in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That store features the same beige walls, dropped ceiling tiles, and institutional carpet that define the Backrooms aesthetic. However, the set for the film dwarfs its inspiration. The real building is modest in size; the film’s version spans 30,000 square feet, making it much larger and more complex.
This scale difference matters. While the original creepypasta drew from a mundane retail space, the film transforms that idea into something monumentally oppressive. Ejiofor noted that the set felt vast and complicated to navigate—a far cry from the straightforward layout of a hobby store. By amplifying the size, Parsons emphasizes the feeling of being trapped in something that should not exist. The connection to the real Hobbytown grounds the horror in reality, but the exaggerated magnitude pushes it into the uncanny valley.
How the Set Could Change the Backrooms’ Legacy
If the film succeeds, the first physical Backrooms set could influence how future liminal horror stories are adapted. Other creepypastas, such as the endless staircase or the abandoned IKEA, might benefit from similar practical constructions. The set also becomes a potential tourist attraction or a location for future productions. A24 has a history of preserving iconic sets, and this one might be too large to dismantle easily. Imagine an interactive art installation where fans can walk through the Backrooms themselves.
For now, the set remains a closely guarded secret, with only a few details leaking out. Ejiofor’s surprised reaction, combined with Parsons’ excitement, suggests that the final product will deliver something reminiscent of the original while offering new layers of immersion. The first backrooms set is more than a collection of walls and lights—it is a declaration that this digital phenomenon deserves a physical manifestation, and that horror can be built, not just imagined.
As the release date approaches, fans can anticipate a film that takes the Backrooms seriously. The set’s size and complexity demonstrate a commitment to practical filmmaking that honors the creepypasta’s DIY spirit while elevating it to cinematic scale. Whether you are a longtime fan of the original image or a newcomer drawn by the cast, the physical space created for this adaptation promises to be a key element of the horror experience.
