Back to the Backrooms!

June 19, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway with McDonald's, and one of nine legendary cups in the lineup features Grimace between the posts. But that's not what Ben and Amory are here to talk about. Earlier this summer, on a gorgeous day in Boston, the two hosts of Endless Thread ducked into a movie theater to see a film adapted from a creepypasta they first covered five years ago: the Backrooms. They escaped the theater, found a quiet nook in a fancy residential building, and recorded their post-screening thoughts—along with interviews with fellow audience members—about how a 4chan post became a $81 million opening weekend film, and what its horror says about modern life.

From 4chan to the Multiplex

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What you'll learn

1 (01:19) **Setting the Scene: Why We're at the Movies** - Hosts Ben and Amory decide to see the new *Backrooms* movie on a beautiful Boston day, framing the episode as a follow-up to their 2020 coverage of the backrooms subreddit.
2 (03:30) **Recalling the Origin: The Backrooms Creepypasta** - Ben and Amory revisit the backrooms' origin story: a 4chan post about "no-clipping" into an endless, empty labyrinth of yellow rooms.
3 (06:11) **The Director's Thesis: Modern Anomie** - Amory shares a key theme from director Kane Parsons: the horror of "unfettered urbanization, industrialization, and information overload."
4 (11:04) **Post-Screening Interviews: Audience Reactions** - Outside the theater, the hosts interview three audience members: Indigo (a fan of the web series) and two newcomers, Min and Olivia.
5 (13:06) **Audience Interpretations of the Ending** - The audience members offer their theories on the film's meaning.
6 (14:20) **Hosts' Initial Reactions: Character & Story** - Amory and Ben give their first impressions, noting the film's effective tension but underdeveloped characters.
7 (15:39) **The Practical Horror: A Real Labyrinth** - They discuss the film's production, noting a 30,000-square-foot practical labyrinth was built for the set.

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Show Notes

Once upon a dimly lit hallway, Ben and Amory stumbled onto a beloved brainchild of the internet: Backrooms. It began as a "creepypasta"— a horror story or concept that originates online and often becomes a meme — based on the idea of glitching into an inescapable prison of empty rooms. Back in 2020, Endless Thread discussed how this chilling kernel of internet lore migrated from 4chan to Reddit. Now, "Backrooms" is a major motion picture from A24.

Amory and Ben take a little field trip to the theater to see the film and discuss how the concept holds up in the hands of Hollywood.