The Backrooms is a fictional creepypasta centering around the idea of being trapped inside a liminal space without a way of escaping. It originated from a 2019 photo of a labyrinth-style office. The warm lighting and yellow wallpaper caused an unsettling feeling in the audience. This image quickly became popular, leading to the creation of a 2022 short film titled “The Backrooms (Found Footage)”. From then on, this creepypasta has been getting expanded on via short films and stories. From 2019 to 2023, it was the pinnacle of the liminal space fascination, which likely explains the creepypasta’s success. 

However, before the creepypasta rose to popularity, there was “Vivarium,” a 2019 psychological thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. The film centers around a young, unmarried couple who decide to buy their first house together. They consult a local realtor who directs them to the middle of an unsettlingly identical suburban town. As if that isn’t weird enough, the couple later discovers that they are trapped in this town. Every direction they go eventually leads them back to their new house.

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The movie really starts to expand and demonstrate the concept of liminal space when its two characters begin to venture and explore the town on their own. The female protagonist (Imogen Poots) — now separated from the male protagonist — walks through the mysterious town on her own.

The male protagonist (Jesse Eisenberg) begins to dig a hole in the house’s front yard, hoping that he will eventually tunnel out of the town. However, all he finds are a couple of human bones at the bottom of the hole, showing that his attempt to tunnel out of the town is useless. This scene fills the audience with hopelessness, as it’s implied that there really is no way out of the town.  

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The unique plot of “Vivarium” leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. Just when you think you understand the movie and how it’s going to end, the film throws a captivating curveball at you. I strongly recommend “Vivarium” for anyone who enjoys The Backrooms or any other type of liminal space horror, for this film accurately uses all the aspects of liminal space: the clouds don’t look quite real, the vacant houses are all the same, and fog surrounds the town. I would give this film an 8 out of 10.