Should we hop on a call? Let’s touch base. Let’s take this offline. Let’s circle back to your last slide deck. Let’s get those action items actioned by close of play. We need stakeholder buy-in. We need deliverables. We need to make sure you’re aligned with company culture. We’re concerned you’re not leveraging your core competencies. After careful consideration, management has made the difficult decision to terminate your contract. We’re committed to helping you with this transition.
Corporate jargon is zombified language. These euphemisms and elisions are the soulless husks of words, meant to blunt the sharp edges of human emotion (sorry – ‘maintain professionalism’). And they often leave you feeling a sneaking sense of dread.
This dread has been distilled into A24’s latest psychological-horror film, Backrooms. Failed architect-turned-furniture dealer Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds a portal in his showroom, leading to an infernal labyrinth of office space. The idea came from a disconcerting photo of empty retail space posted to the online messaging forum 4chan. A user described the place as ‘the Backrooms’: ‘It’s nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz.’ The image epitomises the ‘liminal space’: those in-between places – empty hotel corridors, shuttered malls, vacant offices – devoid of human presence.
