Uncanny Beauty: Explore Liminal Spaces in Movies and TV

I've been watching a ton of horror movies lately for inspiration. Aside from the monsters and the killers, what I find most unsettling about a lot of the stuff I've seen are the locations. I learned a lot of these are called liminal spaces. It turns out that filmmakers have been using them for a while to give you a sense of dread.Today, I want to define those spaces, look at some characteristics, and find examples of liminal spaces across film and TV. Sound good? Let's dive in and see what we can come up with. What is Liminal Space?Liminal spaces are unsettling "between" places that give you a sense of unease as you transition to somewhere else. They are often empty or abandoned, and they can trigger feelings of nostalgia for what used to be there, disorientation, or even dread.Think David Lynch. Pretty much all liminal spaces have a Lynchian vibe. Characteristics of Liminal SpacesThese are the sort of things it's easier to show you than to describe, but I'm going to try anyway. Have you ever been walking through an area like a hallway, an airport at night, sitting in a waiting room, or gone through an abandoned building and just thought about how temporary or empty these places were? They give you memories or imaginative scenes of a time when they had people in them but now they just lie dormant. Anything could be around any curve waiting for you. What are some other key characteristics of liminal spaces? Transitional Locations: These are places meant for passing through only. Empty or Underpopulated: Liminal spaces are often empty, amplifying the feeling of isolation.Familiarity: They resemble places you've been before but something is "off." Maybe it's strange lighting, weird perspectives, or just emptiness.Nostalgia or Loss: Liminal spaces trigger memories or dreams of the past, often associated with childhood or significant life changes. Or just you making up what used to happen in them that's not happening now. How Are Liminal Spaces Used in Movies and TV?As filmmakers, liminal spaces can be a great spot to put a set piece or as the primary location for a story. Take the indie side of things for a second, you have way less to set decorate. And a lot of these abandoned places just exist in the world, so you just have to go out for a location scout to find them. Even if you're working with a higher budget, the same thing applies. You can take the lessons of what feels weird in liminal spaces and translate them to fantasy worlds or office spaces or other things you have access to. A few other ways you can use it are: Exploring Character Psychology: Liminal spaces can represent a character's emotional or mental state with eerie visuals. Highlighting isolation: The emptiness and lack of human presence in liminal spaces can amplify feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being disconnected from others. Exploring themes of identity and belonging: Liminal spaces can raise questions about character identity and challenge if they belong on these worlds.Examples of Liminal Spaces in Movies and TVLike I said before, it's easier to show these traits than just tell you about them. So, I wanted to pull some examples from movies and TV shows of liminal spaces that you'll recognize and see how they use them for storytelling. The Shining (1980): The Overlook Hotel, with its long, empty hallways and vast, deserted spaces, is a quintessential liminal space. The Shining (1980): The Overlook Hotel, with its long, empty hallways and vast, deserted spaces, is a quintessential liminal space.Lost Highway (1997): The winding, deserted highway itself becomes a liminal space, symbolizing the protagonist's descent into a surreal state. Donnie Darko (2001): The other universe where he sees the bunny is a liminal space between life and death as well as sanity and madness. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964): Many episodes of this classic series utilize liminal spaces to create a sense of unease and the uncanny. Think of the empty diner in "A Stop at Willoughby" or the endless highway in "The Hitch-Hiker." Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017): David Lynch masterfully uses liminal spaces throughout this series. The Red Room, with its strange furniture and backward speech, is a prime example. Stranger Things (2016-present): The Upside Down is a literal liminal space, a dark and distorted version of the real world. Severance (2022): The Lumon Industries office, with its sterile white walls and endless corridors, is a quintessential liminal space. It represents the dehumanizing nature of corporate work.Summing Up Liminal Spaces in Movies Liminal spaces are the thresholds for our lives, both physically and metaphorically. They work so well in film and TV because they come with an inherent creepiness that is hard to describe but keeps you on your toes. Hopefully, this post taught you something about these kinds of settings and you'll be able to incorporate them in your work moving forward. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Feb 11, 2025 - 20:35

Uncanny Beauty: Explore Liminal Spaces in Movies and TV

I've been watching a ton of horror movies lately for inspiration. Aside from the monsters and the killers, what I find most unsettling about a lot of the stuff I've seen are the locations. I learned a lot of these are called liminal spaces. It turns out that filmmakers have been using them for a while to give you a sense of dread.

Today, I want to define those spaces, look at some characteristics, and find examples of liminal spaces across film and TV.

Sound good?

Let's dive in and see what we can come up with.

What is Liminal Space?

Liminal spaces are unsettling "between" places that give you a sense of unease as you transition to somewhere else.

They are often empty or abandoned, and they can trigger feelings of nostalgia for what used to be there, disorientation, or even dread.

Think David Lynch. Pretty much all liminal spaces have a Lynchian vibe.

Characteristics of Liminal Spaces

These are the sort of things it's easier to show you than to describe, but I'm going to try anyway.

Have you ever been walking through an area like a hallway, an airport at night, sitting in a waiting room, or gone through an abandoned building and just thought about how temporary or empty these places were?

They give you memories or imaginative scenes of a time when they had people in them but now they just lie dormant. Anything could be around any curve waiting for you.

What are some other key characteristics of liminal spaces?

Transitional Locations: These are places meant for passing through only.
Empty or Underpopulated: Liminal spaces are often empty, amplifying the feeling of isolation.
Familiarity: They resemble places you've been before but something is "off." Maybe it's strange lighting, weird perspectives, or just emptiness.
Nostalgia or Loss: Liminal spaces trigger memories or dreams of the past, often associated with childhood or significant life changes. Or just you making up what used to happen in them that's not happening now.

How Are Liminal Spaces Used in Movies and TV?

How Are Liminal Spaces Used in Film and TV?

As filmmakers, liminal spaces can be a great spot to put a set piece or as the primary location for a story.

Take the indie side of things for a second, you have way less to set decorate. And a lot of these abandoned places just exist in the world, so you just have to go out for a location scout to find them.

Even if you're working with a higher budget, the same thing applies. You can take the lessons of what feels weird in liminal spaces and translate them to fantasy worlds or office spaces or other things you have access to.

A few other ways you can use it are:

Exploring Character Psychology: Liminal spaces can represent a character's emotional or mental state with eerie visuals.
Highlighting isolation: The emptiness and lack of human presence in liminal spaces can amplify feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being disconnected from others.
Exploring themes of identity and belonging: Liminal spaces can raise questions about character identity and challenge if they belong on these worlds.

Examples of Liminal Spaces in Movies and TV

Examples of Liminal Spaces in Film and TV

Like I said before, it's easier to show these traits than just tell you about them. So, I wanted to pull some examples from movies and TV shows of liminal spaces that you'll recognize and see how they use them for storytelling.

The Shining (1980): The Overlook Hotel, with its long, empty hallways and vast, deserted spaces, is a quintessential liminal space.

The Shining (1980): The Overlook Hotel, with its long, empty hallways and vast, deserted spaces, is a quintessential liminal space.
Lost Highway (1997): The winding, deserted highway itself becomes a liminal space, symbolizing the protagonist's descent into a surreal state.
Donnie Darko (2001): The other universe where he sees the bunny is a liminal space between life and death as well as sanity and madness.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964): Many episodes of this classic series utilize liminal spaces to create a sense of unease and the uncanny. Think of the empty diner in "A Stop at Willoughby" or the endless highway in "The Hitch-Hiker."
Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017): David Lynch masterfully uses liminal spaces throughout this series. The Red Room, with its strange furniture and backward speech, is a prime example.
Stranger Things (2016-present): The Upside Down is a literal liminal space, a dark and distorted version of the real world.
Severance (2022): The Lumon Industries office, with its sterile white walls and endless corridors, is a quintessential liminal space. It represents the dehumanizing nature of corporate work.

Summing Up Liminal Spaces in Movies

Liminal spaces are the thresholds for our lives, both physically and metaphorically. They work so well in film and TV because they come with an inherent creepiness that is hard to describe but keeps you on your toes.

Hopefully, this post taught you something about these kinds of settings and you'll be able to incorporate them in your work moving forward.

Let me know what you think in the comments.