What is the Supernatural Workplace Genre?

Can you name your favorite supernatural workplace movie? What about your favorite book? Probably not. It’s okay if you’ve never heard of the genre. In fact, I’d be surprised if you had because I made it up. No, I didn’t invent the genre, but I’ve yet to hear anyone slap a label on it. Thus, I’ve taken the liberty. What do you call stories that explore the themes and gags of the modern workforce but with a fantastical twist?

Supernatural workplace.

It’s kinda like urban fantasy, but the characters aren’t teenagers and they all work nine-to-fives inside a honeycomb of cubicles. Doesn’t sound familiar? Let me jog your memory.

What Counts as Supernatural Workplace?

This unnamed genre has been on my radar for a while now, and I’m perplexed to see no one talking about it. Or maybe I shouldn’t be. After all, there aren’t many such stories, and often they’re hybrids with other genres. Marvel Studios’ Loki runs with the mid-1900s office aesthetic throughout most of the show—and I’d argue it’s actually a solid example of what I’m talking about—but the show is mostly a crime procedural and a sci-fi/fantasy tale. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. R.I.P.D. shares similar DNA. The Ryan Reynold’s-led action flick revolves around an afterlife management bureau, so technically it qualifies. Think Ghostbusters meets Men in Black.

A more purist example of supernatural workplace is probably Being John Malkovich, a 1999 comedy about two coworkers who discover a mystical doorway into actor John Malkovich’s mind, then sell timeslots in the actor’s head to their fellow office chumps.

What makes the genre distinct isn’t special effects or adventurous plots; it’s commentary on the mundanity of the modern workplace.

With rare exceptions like Being John Malkovich, supernatural workplace stories don’t see much love on the big screen. That’s probably because they’re not very flashy. Those that do garner wider audiences, like Loki, have the advantage of being fast-paced sci-fi romps or the like. Again, this isn’t a bad thing. I think Loki is one of the best examples of the genre getting the big-budget treatment. But these are, again, exceptions.

What makes the genre distinct isn’t special effects or adventurous plots; it’s commentary on the mundanity of the modern workplace. Be it office workers vacationing in a famous actor’s mind to escape their boring day-by-day or time-traveling cops questioning the cold, corporate purpose for which they’re dedicating their lives, supernatural workplace stories explore the psychology of serving the timesheet. This might not be their sole focus, but it’s there.

Genre Identity Crisis

Maybe there aren’t many “pure” examples because the genre is more of a setting or a shtick than a fully-realized category. Don’t know what I mean? Allow me to elaborate.

Does a story set in the deep past automatically make it historical fiction? Does a story set in the Old West make it a western by default? Does a story that cracks a lot of jokes get to call itself a comedy? Most Marvel movies rely on humor, but only a few are true comedies. My point? Maybe supernatural workplace is more of a parasitic genre, one that books and films borrow for their settings even if they don’t appropriate the genre’s themes or other watermarks.

Maybe supernatural workplace is more of a parasitic genre, one that books and films borrow for their settings even if they don’t appropriate the genre’s themes or other watermarks.

Chasing Christmas, a little-known 2005 spoof of A Christmas Carol, is one such example. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future working for the Bureau of Yuletide Affairs stirs up some giggles about bureaucratic stuffiness and disgruntled employees, but the supernatural workplace only serves as a narrative backdrop and a gag. That’s all.

Monsters Inc. commits to this type of setting more than most films. While it has its quips about paperwork and the company going under, the film primarily concerns itself with the relationship between its characters rather than commentary about the dangers of automation or corporate greediness. However, it would be unfair to say this disqualifies Monsters Inc. from being a supernatural workplace story. It may only borrow the setting, but few films appropriate the fantastical warehouse/office aesthetic better.

The Heart of Workplace Humor

As you might have noticed by now, comedy shares a lot in common with the supernatural workplace genre, and it’s no wonder why. Both deal with relatability. General audiences relate to punching a clock and working a desk. Comedy gets audiences giggling because it’s familiar. Just look at The Office. You can’t get workplace humor distilled any better than The Office. Hijinks among coworkers, oblivious bosses, inside jokes around the watercooler, and communal loathing abound. The emphasis on the quiet absurdity of the office ecosystem makes for comedic gold.

The emphasis on the quiet absurdity of the office ecosystem makes for comedic gold.

That’s why films like R.I.P.D. and Men in Black don’t quite match the genre I’ve attempted to name. Supernatural workplace stories, like many comedies, are about relating to the mundane. Hollywood, understandably, is frightened by the mundane. The mundane doesn’t equal ticket sales. Maybe an occasional award, but not profit. This is, perhaps, why we’re better off searching bookstores and online lit journals for our supernatural workplace fix. Written works have often been more comfortable chasing subtler humor and quieter demons than their big-screen cousins.

Final Thoughts

That said, it’s time we gave supernatural workplace its due. I’m not saying it deserves its own section at Barnes & Noble (although it’d probably squeeze in between paranormal romance and fantasy, for better or worse). The sample size of stories is still relatively small, but at some point we need to recognize a new category. Cosmic horror eventually had to delineate from its roots in sci-fi and weird fiction. Urban fantasy had to break away from traditional fantasy.

So, how does one discover a new genre anyhow? I don’t imagine a roomful of writers unearthing some unexplored category of literature like they’re paleontologists naming a new dinosaur. Not quite. But it’s not like science fiction or steampunk or weird westerns have been around forever. Even the novel itself had a beginning. At some point someone must have noticed a new trend in storytelling and coined a term for it, right? New nomenclature had to arise.

Today I guess I’m that someone.

I mean that in the least conceited way possible.

. . .

So, what do you think? I am totally going out on a limb here, or are we onto something? Seeing as there’s not a dedicated section at Barnes & Noble, I’d love to hear any recommendations for supernatural workplace stories you may have.