Respond to these rapid questions in our The Empty Man quiz and we will tell you which The Empty Man character you are. Play it now.
The path a film takes from conception to completion can have an impact on audience expectations. For the sake of argument, let us say that the list of worthwhile films that have sat on the shelf for years before being released into theaters with little or no promotion and no critics screenings is extremely short. So, while it’s nice to say that we approach all films with the same level of critical skepticism, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much from “The Empty Man,” which is finally available on VOD after a long and arduous journey to get here. While it’s clear what worried studio executives about this adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, it’s also clear that those same concerns will almost certainly help to create a cult following around this occasionally striking and memorable studio oddity in the future. Even though it is advertised as a traditional horror film, this is a truly surreal and strange piece of work, anchored by some excellent craft elements but weakened by the film’s excessive running time and a conclusion that is likely to have left the few people who saw it in theaters more annoyed than thrilled (hence the startling D+ rating on CinemaScore). Despite the fact that “The Empty Man” has been compared to crappy studio fare such as “The Bye Bye Man” and “Slender Man,” this is a far more ambitious and accomplished piece of work than its reputation would suggest.
David Prior’s film distinguishes itself from the typical rushed Hollywood genre film by including a 22-minute prologue that proves to be surprisingly effective (even if it does add to the bloated 137 minutes total). In 1995, four friends are hiking in Bhutan when one of them hears a sound in the distance that only he can hear. It is only he who can hear it. He takes a detour only to end up falling into a crevice. A friend rushes down to find the young man seated and staring at a terrifying skeleton, which he quickly decapitates. He gives him one last warning, which is ignored: “If you touch me, you’ll die.” Then he goes into a catatonic state. His three friends transport him back to a nearby cabin, where things begin to get strange quickly. The prologue to “The Empty Man” is an effective short film in and of itself, perhaps even more effective than the rest of the film, and it sets the tone for the rest of the film, even if it is indulgent for a film that is already quite lengthy.
In Missouri in 2018, it’s time to get to the heart of the matter. To the rescue comes James Lasombra (James Badge Dale), who is spending his birthday alone in a hotel room. In flashes of memory and conversation, James describes the trauma he is currently experiencing as a result of the death of his wife and child in a car accident. One of James’ few friends appears to be a next-door neighbor named Nora (Marin Ireland), who comes to James’ aid when her daughter Amanda (Sasha Frolova) disappears. However, James can tell there’s more to it than that, and not just because there’s a message in blood that says “The Empty Man forced me to do it.” Amanda is over the age of 18 and has the ability to do whatever she wants, so the investigation seems half-hearted.
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Amanda has a friend named Davara (Samantha Logan), who informs James that their group has recently attempted to summon The Empty Man, which James believes is a hoax. According to legend, if you blow into an empty bottle while standing on an empty bridge, the Empty Man will come to you and help you. You’ll be able to hear him the first night. You’ll see him on the second night, I promise you that. You’ll be able to feel him by the third night. It goes without saying that the legend of The Empty Man is influenced heavily by other stories like Bloody Mary, Candyman, and Slender Man, but Prior’s film quickly moves away from being a traditional boogeyman story and toward becoming something much stranger as James discovers that a group of people may be involved in all of this as a result of his investigation (including a leader played by Stephen Root). And then he discovers that he has absolutely no idea what is going on as “The Empty Man” deviates from the traditional jump scare structure by becoming increasingly surreal, eventually tying back into the prologue in an unexpected way, and reaching a bizarre conclusion that I’m not sure makes any sense. But give me a movie that deviates from the script more often than one that neatly wraps up in a predictable manner every single time!
The Empty Man Quiz
The fact that it is 137 minutes long makes it sound like a lot of movie time. And it is. While it has seemed like a lot of mini-series have worked better as feature films in recent years, “The Empty Man” is a rare movie adaptation that feels like it should have been a Netflix Original Series instead. Consider the effective prologue to be the entirety of the first episode. Furthermore, an episodic structure would allow some of the film’s many themes to develop in a way that the rushed final third of the film simply does not allow. Because it has to rush to a conclusion, “The Empty Man” loses too much of its atmosphere and sense of dread at a certain point. Yes, it’s long in a counterproductive way because maintaining a horror tone for 137 minutes is nearly impossible, but it’s also far too short for this story to be successful. When the revelations pile up in the final third of the film, it becomes cluttered and detracts from the overall tone of impending doom.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this The Empty Man quiz.
Despite this, there is plenty to enjoy for fans of the genre in this film. The cinematographer, Anastas N. Michos, makes effective use of space and light, somehow managing to make the bright snow of the prologue just as imposing as the dark shadows of the final act. Prior avoids the use of jump scares in favor of creating an atmosphere, and he appears to be a very promising director. He possesses strong compositional and structural abilities, despite the fact that his dialogue can be a little thin at times. He also has a good working relationship with actors, as this is the umpteenth reminder that James Badge Dale should get more acting experience. Dale is a likable everyman who brings unexpected depth to every scene in which he appears.
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Most often, studios bury projects like “The Empty Man” because they’re legitimately horrible and they’re trying to figure out exactly how to write off their investment in a way that doesn’t embarrass them too badly. However, every once in a while, a studio buries a project because they don’t get it. How do you sell a film as surreal and unsettling as “The Empty Man”? You don’t even try. If you’re lucky, the audience finds it on their own. Will that happen with “The Empty Man”? It’s too soon to tell how people will respond, but I suspect horror fans will be surprised by a movie experience far fuller than I was expecting.
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Now available on VOD.
For more personality quizzes check this: Bloodshot Quiz.
