Liminal Spaces You Might Have Been In Before

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Aug 25, 2022 11:00 AM EDT

Liminal spaces are the aesthetically strange rooms that nobody can get enough of. For the uninitiated, a liminal space "is a location which is a transition between two other locations, or states of being." For instance, pools, hallways, and abandoned rooms all can fit into the definition of "liminal spaces." This aesthetic trend developed in the 2010s and has gained popularity both on TikTok and in the video game The Backrooms, which depicts different ominous and liminal spaces.

The main appeal of images of these spaces is that when people look at them, they feel something. You might feel as if you've been in that place before, perhaps during childhood or even during a past life. They might pique your curiosity, prompting you to wonder, "where does that hallway lead?" or "is that pool real or fake?" Liminal spaces also creep people out, sparking fears that you'll be stuck in fluorescently lit empty backrooms, unable to get out.

These strange environments visually speak for themselves: enter if you dare.