The alarm comes from the world of Outlast Trials, the cooperative horror game in the Outlast series, where players are test subjects inside a Murkoff Corporation facility. Sirens and lab warnings are part of that setting, used in-game to signal failed trials, breached areas and moments when the experiment turns hostile. Clips of the alarm spread through gameplay videos, horror edits and soundboards because the sound is instantly recognisable to fans and easy to reuse. It remains popular as a shorthand for a secret experiment going wrong.