The Backrooms Trilogy

Welcome to today's featured content about The Backrooms Trilogy (2022-2027), A24's groundbreaking horror franchise. Today's featured article explores NoCliped (2022), the film that launched the trilogy and established Jenna Ortega as a rising star in horror cinema.

Today's Featured Article: NoCliped (2022)

NoCliped (2022) marked the beginning of The Backrooms Trilogy, introducing audiences to the haunting world of the Backrooms through the eyes of Maria Diaz, a young woman who finds herself trapped in an endless maze of empty office spaces and maintenance corridors. The film's striking visual style, characterized by its use of liminal spaces and unsettling architecture, established a new standard for psychological horror.

The story begins with Maria's mysterious disappearance from a college party, where she seemingly falls through reality itself into Level 0, the first and most recognizable level of the Backrooms. Here, she encounters her first entities, including the terrifying Smilers and Hounds, while learning the basic rules of survival in this strange dimension.

Did You Know...

• The production team spent three months constructing the elaborate Level 0 sets, using over 4,000 square feet of yellow wallpaper

• David Tennant was not originally cast as James Reynolds, but joined the project after reading the emotional depth of the character

• The concept of Almond Water as a stabilizing force came directly from the Backrooms Wikidot

Today's Featured Character: Maria Diaz

Maria Diaz, portrayed by Jenna Ortega, serves as the trilogy's protagonist and emotional core. Her journey from terrified survivor to hardened explorer resonated with audiences and critics alike, earning Ortega numerous accolades. The character's development throughout NoCliped, from her initial panic to her growing understanding of the Backrooms' nature, set the stage for her eventual transformation into a key figure in the Major Explorer Group (M.E.G.).

In The News

Upcoming Projects

The Afterrooms (2036), a spinoff series exploring events after the trilogy, has begun pre-production.

A documentary examining the creation of the trilogy's unique soundscape, Backrooms Musical Motifs, is scheduled for release next month.

Community Discussion

The ongoing debate about The Edinburgh Incident (2023) continues to generate theories about its connection to the trilogy's deeper lore.

Entity Overview

NoCliped introduced several key entities that would become iconic throughout the trilogy. The Dullers, with their ability to drain color and emotion from their surroundings, represented the existential threat of losing one's humanity in the Backrooms. The film also provided the first glimpse of the Partygoers, though their true nature wouldn't be revealed until later installments.

The M.E.G. Introduction

The film's second act introduces the Major Explorer Group (M.E.G.) through Maria's encounter with a patrol in Level 1. This sequence establishes the organization's complex nature - seemingly benevolent but hiding darker secrets that would be revealed throughout the trilogy. Here we also meet Dr. Arnold Malkinson, whose friendly demeanor masks his future role as the trilogy's primary antagonist.

Character Relationships

The introduction of Cindy Reynolds midway through the film establishes one of the trilogy's core relationships. Their initial meeting in Level 1, where Cindy saves Maria from a Hounds attack, sets up their evolving dynamic that would become central to the series. Meanwhile, Cindy's father's search, chronicled in Cindy Reynolds' Father's Search (2022-2027), begins as a parallel narrative that adds emotional depth to the story.

Technical Innovation

NoCliped pioneered several filming techniques that would become standard in portraying liminal spaces on screen. The "endless corridor effect," achieved through a combination of practical sets and revolutionary mirror work, created the illusion of infinite space without relying heavily on CGI. The sound design, particularly the subtle buzzing of fluorescent lights and distant echoes, established the unsettling atmosphere that would characterize the entire trilogy.

Survival Mechanics

The film established key survival elements that would become crucial throughout the trilogy. The importance of Almond Water in maintaining sanity, the need to count steps to avoid spatial loops, and the recognition of subtle environmental changes all became fundamental aspects of Backrooms lore. The movie also introduced the concept of "noclipping" between levels, visualized through Maria's accidental discoveries of exit points.

Critical Reception

NoCliped received widespread acclaim for its innovative approach to horror, earning particular praise for its atmospheric tension and Ortega's compelling performance. Critics highlighted the film's ability to create fear through architecture and empty space, rather than relying on traditional horror elements. The movie's success paved the way for the more ambitious sequels, Wanderer (2024) and City in the Rain (2027).

Behind the Scenes

The production team's commitment to practical effects extended to creating multiple versions of seemingly identical corridors, each with subtle differences that only observant viewers might notice. This attention to detail helped establish the disorienting nature of the Backrooms while providing viewers with visual clues about the characters' progression through the space.

Legacy

NoCliped's influence extends beyond the horror genre, inspiring discussions about architectural psychology and the nature of liminal spaces in modern society. The film's exploration of isolation, institutional spaces, and the thin boundary between reality and nightmare resonated with audiences experiencing similar feelings during the global pandemic.

The movie's success led to increased interest in the original Backrooms concept, with the Backrooms Wikidot seeing a surge in contributions and expanded lore. The film's careful balance between respecting existing Backrooms mythology while creating its own unique elements set a standard for future adaptations of internet-based horror concepts.

Cultural Impact

The phrase "noclipping" entered popular culture following the film's release, becoming shorthand for moments of surreal displacement or transition. The movie's yellow corridors became instantly recognizable symbols in horror cinema, influencing everything from video game design to contemporary architecture criticism.

NoCliped established The Backrooms Trilogy as more than just another horror franchise, laying the groundwork for a complex exploration of isolation, institutional power, and the nature of reality itself. Its success demonstrated the potential for thoughtful, atmospheric horror that prioritizes psychological tension over jump scares, influencing a new generation of filmmakers in the process.