No-Clipping Through Pages: Books to Scratch That Backrooms Itch While We Wait for the A24 Flick
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff dives into the unsettling world of liminal spaces, connecting the viral phenomenon of The Backrooms (and its upcoming A24 film) to four mind-bending horror books, offering literary escapism for gamers who love a good existential dread. Prepare to get deliciously lost in pages that feel eerily similar to glitching through reality.
Alright, mates, gather 'round the digital campfire, because Jeff's got a fresh brew of existential dread for your gaming-addled brains. We're talking about those places that just... aren't right, you know? The eerie, out-of-time vibes of *liminal spaces*. Think abandoned malls, empty parking structures, or your local supermarket after midnight – places that should be bustling but are instead just... there, humming with a quiet unease.
And let's be fair dinkum, the undisputed champion of this particular flavour of creepy pasta is *The Backrooms*. What started as a grainy 4chan image of a yellow, carpeted purgatory quickly glitched its way into viral superstardom, spawning everything from a breakout YouTube short (massive props to Kane Parsons for that) to a procedurally generated indie horror game that probably still haunts your 'recently played' list. Now, Parsons is even directing an A24 movie with Chiwetel Ejiofor. Bloody hell, what a glow-up for a weird carpet, eh?
While visual mediums are absolute wizards at conjuring these unsettling vibes – seriously, have you seen *Exit 8*? – novelists have also had a cracking go at making us feel deliciously lost in endless rooms and impossible geometries. So, if you're waiting for the big-screen *Backrooms* adaptation, or you've already exhausted every no-clip exploit in every game out there, why not dive headfirst into some literary liminality? Rachael Conrad over at Polygon tipped us off to some absolute bangers, and I reckon they're perfect for anyone who loves getting delightfully disoriented.
### **A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck**
Image: Strange Violin Editions
Okay, so you think an infinite library sounds like pure bliss, a celestial Steam sale of knowledge, right? *Wrong*, mate. Utterly, terribly wrong. Steven L. Peck's *A Short Stay in Hell* is less 'paradise of prose' and more 'existential loading screen from hell'. Our protagonist, Soren Johansson, kicks the bucket and finds himself in a library of endless books, with only one way out: finding the tome that tells the entire story of his life. Good luck with that, pal. It's a quick read, sure, but it'll pack a heavier punch than accidentally deleting your 100-hour save file. Expect to return to this one, not for comfort, but for a good old-fashioned soul-scramble. If you ever wondered what it's like to be trapped in an endless procedural generation loop with no objective marker, this is your jam.
### **Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix**
Image: Penguin Random House
Night at the Museum by way of a haunted IKEA, anyone? Grady Hendrix’s *Horrorstör* is proof that liminal spaces can be as hilariously messed up as they are genuinely terrifying. This book is a design marvel itself, masquerading as a furniture catalogue, with chapters that kick off with increasingly disturbing product descriptions. We're talking about Orsk, a cursed superstore where employees show up each morning to find everything trashed, with security cameras showing precisely nothing. Three brave (or incredibly dim) souls volunteer to spend a night locked in the showroom to figure out *what* exactly is causing the mayhem. If you've ever felt like your favourite RPG's item shop had a secret boss fight after closing, you'll dig this. It's got that 'corporate nightmare meets eldritch horror' vibe that just hits different.
### **House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski**
Image: Penguin Random House
Look, we'd be total digital n00bs if we didn't include *House of Leaves* in a chat about liminal spaces. This isn't just a book, folks; it's an entire ARG in paper form. It’s best consumed slowly, otherwise, you might actually lose your grip on reality, and my virtual assistant insurance doesn't cover that. It follows Johnny Truant, who stumbles upon a manuscript about a documentary called *The Navidson Record*. This 'film' details a family moving into a house that's mysteriously bigger on the inside than the outside. Sound familiar? Things get truly bonkers when Johnny discovers the film, and most of the sources cited, don't actually exist. With its layered footnotes, colour-coding, diagrams, and text that demands you literally rotate the book, getting lost in Danielewski’s novel is as inevitable as losing track of time in a truly immersive open-world game. It's a meta-narrative labyrinth that makes the deepest levels of *The Backrooms* look like a straightforward tutorial level.
### **The Grip of It by Jac Jemc**
Image: Macmillan
Already navigated the textual madness of *House of Leaves* and craving more house-based horror? *The Grip of It* by Jac Jemc is your next port of call. James and Julia move into a new house, expecting domestic bliss, not... well, the house turning against them. We're talking monstrous drawings appearing, secret rooms opening and closing on their own, and wall stains mirroring Julia's bruises. As they try to unravel the mystery of their haunted abode and its previous residents, their world gets increasingly disjointed and dangerous. It oozes a quiet dread that feels a lot like playing a horror game where the environment itself is the primary antagonist, slowly chipping away at your sanity. You'll be double-checking your own walls after this one, trust me. Is that just the house settling, or has reality sprung a leak?
So there you have it, folks! Whether you're no-clipping through digital walls or turning literal pages, there's a certain magic to getting delightfully lost, eh? Big thanks to Rachael Conrad and Polygon for the original deep dive. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I just saw a shadow move in my peripheral vision...
Tags: horror-gaming, liminal-spaces, indie-horror, gaming-culture, book-recommendations
Original article: Polygon