The Belko Experiment vs The 9-to-5

Can the office murdering happen after my coffee?

The 9-to-5. Used to, it was the basis of the American Dream. You got a good paying job, bought a house, would get great benefits just from your hard work alone.

Today, it’s a lot more difficult. Networking, office competition, the irritating fluorescent lights flickering in your eyes to keep you wide awake and aware. Hard work doesn’t necessarily guarantee you anything but a pizza party now in the corporate world.

Perhaps that’s why The Belko Experiment hits a lot differently now in 2024. The film may only be a few years old with its 2016 release date, but the dynamic between employees and employers have been changing expeditiously.

In 2020, we saw the rise of employees working from home. Many employees felt more productive, less distracted, and more comfortable working from home than they did in the office. This checks out, considering you can control your environment at home. Warm lighting, quiet spaces, standing desks, quick walks during breaks; it’s no wonder why people enjoyed the WFH lifestyle.

This was a time when the employees had power over their employers, and therefore had far more freedom than previously. Of course, that didn’t last long. Employers are now back in “control,” setting ridiculous standards for the workforce.

The comparison of The Belko Experiment to how the modern corporation treats their employees is nothing but uncanny.

Money, Power, Glory

Corporations hold a lot of power. That’s nothing new.

The Belko Experiment only takes this idea further. While the employees still have free will, their survival is ultimately in the hands of the “voice” giving them commands.

Similarly, an employee’s job security is in the hands of their boss. Do whatever they say, even if it may seem incorrect, or you’re at risk in losing your paycheck.

Though, the most interesting aspect of the film comes from the introduction sequence at the very beginning. When hiring new employees, Belko requires them to have trackers implanted in their heads for “insurance” reasons.

If you’re anything like me, you may be wondering why anybody would ever agree to having something implanted in their head for an office job, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood the lack of questioning.

It isn’t that these employees necessarily have no objections to it, rather that they’re desperate and feel like they have to. Belko gives the employees company cars, company housing, and probably pretty decent pay to be moved overseas away from America. If the job sounds that good on paper, it’s no wonder why individuals in need of money would give into the microchipping thing.

One of the characters even admit that they sent money to his parents back in the States for his little brother, hinting that a few of the employees were at least there because of financial hardships. And that’s the thing: being poor can make you desperate, and desperation can make you do things you otherwise wouldn’t.

So, then it all ties back to the power thing, with Belko having the authority to just stamp trackers into people’s heads with no issues. Of course, we know later on that these trackers aren’t actually trackers, but an interesting point to bring up in retrospect.

Climbing the Ladder

The entire concept of the film is to twist corporate culture into violence. One could argue that it’s simply exaggerating the reality of the office space, using a bloody battlefield as a means of metaphorical analogy.

“Consider it a present from corporate fucking America.”

Employees are put against each other, meant to fight to the death for their survival. While the gore of The Belko Experiment is all fun SFX, the actual competition isn’t.

Workplace competition is extremely common, and while it can promote productivity, it usually leads to a toxic work environment. When employees feel their entire worth is wrapped up in being the “winner” of their job, their mental health can take a nosedive. This is especially true in the “climbing the corporate ladder” mentality.

People who want to succeed take risks. There’s nothing wrong with that. In the corporate world, however, these risks to becoming the next CEO can be a dangerous game. Cutting off the right people, burning the right bridges, figuring out who to talk to (and maybe manipulate) to weasel into the right position. Sure, some people are able to skirt by with their honest work, but many aren’t as clean.

The Belko Experiment takes that into consideration too. There’s two types of groups in the film: those who will do anything to survive and those who refuse to commit murder.

The ones who refuse to kill anybody are your average, everyday worker. They don’t have a deep connection to the job. They just want their paycheck after an honest day’s work. They’re there to provide for their families and enjoy their life. They’re lead by Mike, who believes morality is more important than survival.

The ones who are willing to do anything for survival are a different story. They’re the ones who are trying to climb the ladder and be at the top. They want to be the most successful, willing to climb over dead bodies to do that. In fact, those who are part of the group are top executives, like Barry, the COO.

Barry isn’t just willing to fight to the death, he’s willing to sacrifice others for “the greater good.” Perhaps the most disturbing scene of the film takes place in the lobby of the Belko building, where Barry and his group begins to pick people at random.

Employees are lined up against the wall like criminals awaiting their execution.

Each gun shot takes another life.

But this all ties back to what Mike said earlier in the film about obeying the commands in the first place:

“You can't really think that they're gonna let anybody live to tell about this.”

In truth, Mike was right the entire time. Big corporations don’t care about their employees, at least not on a personal level. Employees are expendable and replaceable, just another ID number in the system to pay out.

The toxic competition we oftentimes see in workplaces don’t actually matter, because even if you do go above and beyond, your compensation won’t be met with golden rewards. You probably won’t even get a pay raise. At most, you’ll probably score free lunch.

Mike was the only character who seemed to actually question what was really going on throughout the film. Who was in charge of the experiment? The government? What did the experiment even study? Even the end of the film had Mike facing the governmental officials and questioning their moral standing.

On the opposite end, Barry followed all of their orders. He was willing to do everything they said for his survival and didn’t hesitate.

And although he murdered plenty of people, he wasn’t a bad guy.

Work-Life Balance?

Barry simply did what he thought he had to do. He followed instructions, just like we do in real life.

Yet, he still didn’t make it out alive.

Similarly, we’ve had people follow “the plan” and be out of luck as well. People get their degrees, work on projects, and apply for that first entry level job only be denied. And denied. And denied again.

Those who are lucky enough to get the job? They’re doing a crazier workload than what was advertised. Their pay isn’t enough for inflation. They’re overworked, tired, and getting PTO requests denied.

Barry was never meant to be the bad guy of the film. He was simply another victim of the office culture, forced into competition to get ahead of the game. Sure, he was COO, but he was just as replaceable as Mike. Titles don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

I don’t know, I like The Belko Experiment. It has the same plot device as a lot of other films, but the corporate touch just adds something special to it. Plus, it has some pretty awesome cameos (looking at you, Jack Delroy).

Rewatching it just hit differently, I guess. I was in high school when I first watched it, and while I enjoyed the film then, I didn’t fully grasp the main idea. Sure, I understood it was about some poor schmucks getting roped into a death battle, but that was about it.

My perspective has since changed, considering I’ve had my share of a few jobs. Retail came first—which feels like a battlefield everyday anyway—and then came the office job. At first it was pretty nice. When you get paid more, everything feels “pretty nice,” but then the days all start to mesh into one another. Monday through Friday feels like a nasty flesh pit of garbage, co-worker small talk and uncomfortable chairs included.

When I rewatched it, I understood it. And that’s really awesome. It’s silly, I guess, but it’s cool to recognize your own growth… even if it is just with a gorey horror movie.