The Empty Man (film)

The Empty Man is a 2020 American supernatural horror thriller film written, directed, and edited by David Prior, based on Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey's graphic novel of same name published by Boom! Studios. The film stars James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Ron Canada, Robert Aramayo, Joel Courtney, and Sasha Frolova.

The Empty Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Prior
Produced by
Screenplay byDavid Prior
Based on
The Empty Man
by
Starring
Music by
CinematographyAnastos N. Michos
Edited by
  • Andrew Buckland
  • David Prior
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Studios (through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[lower-alpha 2][2])
Release date
  • October 23, 2020 (2020-10-23) (United States)
Running time
137 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.9 million[3][2]

Originally filmed in August 2017, The film was theatrically released in the United States on October 23, 2020 by 20th Century Studios. It received mixed-to-negative reception from both critics and audiences.

Plot

In the Ura Valley, Bhutan in 1995; four friends - Greg, Fiona, Ruthie, and Paul go hiking on a mountain. Paul hears something calling to him and falls in a crevice while investigating. Greg finds Paul in a catatonic state, staring at a strange skeleton. The group carries Paul out and take refuge at an empty house as a snowstorm hits. The next day, Ruthie encounters a strange figure outside. That night, Paul whispers something into Ruthie's ear. The next day, Paul goes missing. The group finds him in the snow near a cliff. Ruthie becomes dazed before stabbing Greg and Fiona and throwing their bodies over the cliff. She shares an entranced look with Paul before throwing herself off too.

In 2018, former detective James Lasombra works at a security store and is grieving the death of his wife Allison and their son Henry who died in a car accident a year ago. He is friends with a local woman called Nora and the pair are alarmed when Nora's daughter Amanda seemingly runs away. The pair find a message written in blood in the bathroom saying "The Empty Man made me do it". The police start an investigation. James tracks down Amanda's friend Devara and quizzes her.

Devara reveals that a couple nights ago, Devara, Amanda and their friends Brandon, Lisa, Julianne, Meyer, and Duncan were encouraged by Amanda to summon the Empty Man, a local legend. Amanda claims that on the first day, they will hear The Empty Man, the second day they will see him and on the third day, he will find them. They do the ritual and Devara later witnesses Amanda whispering into Brandon's ear. That night, Devara is attacked by The Empty Man who kills her and makes it seem like she killed herself. James is unable to track down the rest of Amanda's friends and investigates the bridge they were on. He blows into the bottle they used to summon The Empty Man before finding the hanged bodies of Brandon, Lisa, Julianne, Meyer, and Duncan with the same message written in blood that was found in Amanda's house.

Police retrieve the bodies of the teens. James researches and finds out about a cult called the Pontifex Institute that has beliefs originating from places like Bhutan. He hears The Empty Man that night and is besieged by nightmares. He travels to the institute and sits in on a talk by cult leader Arthur Parsons. Speaking to Parsons, James is alarmed at the leader's references to The Empty Man, claiming him to be an entity that provides his followers with what they want as long as they do his bidding.

James begins to see The Empty Man. He follows cult members and investigates a cabin in the woods where he finds files on Amanda, her friends, Paul from the mountain expedition, and himself. He also witnesses the cult performing a fire ritual. He is spotted and pursued by the cult but escapes. He informs the police, who are unable to do anything due to lack of evidence. James suspects that Amanda is now a member of the cult and informs Nora that she isn't safe. He takes Nora to a hotel to hide out. It is revealed that the pair were having an affair and he was with Nora when Allison and Henry died.

Suffering from increased hallucinations, James ambushes cult member Garrett and asks him what is happening. Garrett claims that there is a man in the hospital that The Empty Man is transmitting to the cult from. James rushes to the hospital and discovers that the man is actually Paul, who is in a comatose state and regularly visited by cult members to get messages from The Empty Man. He finds Amanda in Paul's hospital room and she explains that Paul is dying from the strain of having The Empty Man in him and the cult needs a new vessel. She reveals that James is a tulpa, a new vessel for The Empty Man, who is a blank slate with all his memories and relationships created by the cult. He never existed beyond the timespan the audience met him from. Refusing to believe this, James calls Nora, who has no idea who he is.

The Empty Man possesses James and takes him to a dreamlike world where he fully takes over James' body. The possessed James executes Paul before leaving the hospital room where cult members bow to him as their new Empty Man.

Cast

Production

Development

On February 9, 2016, it was announced that 20th Century Fox acquired the graphic novel The Empty Man from Boom! Studios for a feature film, with David Prior hired to write and direct the film.[5][6][7] The supernatural thriller film would be produced by Ross Richie and Stephen Christy.[5] On July 7, 2016, it was announced that James Badge Dale was cast in the lead role as an ex-cop plagued by the violent deaths of his wife and son, who tries to find a missing girl.[4][8] On September 27, 2016, it was announced that Aaron Poole was cast in the film to play Paul, an outdoorsy adventurer.[9][10]

Filming

Principal photography of the film began on August 31, 2017 in Edwardsville, Illinois, where some filming was done at the Madison County courthouse.[11][12] Filming also took place at the Chain of Rocks Bridge and moved to another undisclosed location after three days.[13]

Release

The Empty Man was theatrically released on October 23, 2020, by 20th Century Studios (by error, the film was released under the 20th Century Fox banner despite the studios name change in January 2020).[14] The film was originally scheduled for release on August 7, 2020, but was delayed to December 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being moved up to the October date following the shifting of Death on the Nile.[15][16]

Reception

Box office

The Empty Man grossed $1.3 million from 2,027 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office. 53% of the audience was male, with 53% also being over the age of 25. Analysts blamed the film's low box office on a lack of marketing, with social media analytics corporation RelishMix saying: "The campaign on social for 20th's The Empty Man dropped just one week ago on [October] 16. Any normal campaign for an indie, one-off high concept or awards contender will obviously drop at least two months out — at the latest."[17] The film fell 57% in its second weekend to $561,000, then made $294,350 in its third.[18]

Critical response

The Empty Man was not screened in advance for critics.[19] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 45% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10.[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 42% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with "an awful" 25% saying they would definitely recommend it.[17][21] The criticism was aimed at the script, plot, characters, performances, and runtime.

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail gave the film 2/4, writing: "Producers couldn't have picked a better title, though. After I left my Friday afternoon screening, attended by a whopping two other people, I felt far from satisfied. Empty, you might say."[19] Writing for The Only Critic, Nate Adams gave it a "D−", summarizing that "running an overlong two hours and twenty minutes, The Empty Man – probably the bastard cousin twice removed from The Bye Bye Man or Slender Man, not good company – is a total bore".[22]

Michael Gingold of Rue Morgue gave the film a positive review, saying its "not at all the movie that its trailers are selling, and in this case, that's a good thing".[1]

References
  1. Gingold, Michael (October 22, 2020). ""The Empty Man" Goes to Strange, Unexpected Places". Rue Morgue. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  2. "The Empty Man (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. "The Empty Man (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. Kit, Borys (July 7, 2016). "James Badge Dale to Star in Supernatural Thriller 'The Empty Man' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  5. Hipes, Patrick (February 9, 2016). "Fox Options Boom! Graphic Novel 'The Empty Man', Gets David Prior To Fill It". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. Stevens, Michael (March 29, 2019). "Sneak Peek: "The Empty Man"". Sneak Peek. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  7. Stevens, Michael (February 19, 2020). ""The Empty Man"". Sneak Peek. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  8. "The Empty Man Movie (2019)". Movie Insider. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  9. N'Duka, Amanda (September 27, 2016). "Fox's 'The Empty Man' Adds Aaron Poole". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  10. Fitzgerald, Cantor (June 14, 2018). "'The Empty Man' - MovieStock". Hollywood Stock Exchange. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  11. Davenport, Cory (August 31, 2017). "'The Empty Man': Movie scenes to be shot in Edwardsville". RiverBender. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  12. Sczesny, Matt (September 1, 2017). "A Hollywood film is shooting in Edwardsville". KMOV. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  13. "Filming to start tonight for crime thriller at Madison County Courthouse". AdvantageNews. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  14. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 23, 2020). "'Black Widow' Jumps To Summer 2021 Spurring Marvel Pics Release Date Shift; 'West Side Story' Delayed A Year; 'Soul' Stays Theatrical". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  15. D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 26, 2020). "'Unhinged' Going July 31 In Wake Of 'Tenet' Summer Shift". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  16. Rubin, Rebecca (July 23, 2020). "'Star Wars' Films, 'Avatar' Sequels Pushed Back a Year in Disney Release Calendar Shakeup". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  17. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 25, 2020). "'Honest Thief' Continues To Lead Lackluster Pandemic Box Office, 'Empty Man' Tripped By Holdovers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  18. D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 1, 2020). "Focus Features-Amblin Horror Movie 'Come Play' Leading Halloween Pandemic Weekend B.O. With $3M+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  19. Hertz, Barry (October 23, 2020). "Barely promoted horror The Empty Man cements the fact that it's dark days indeed for moviegoers". The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  20. "The Empty Man (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  21. Brueggemann, Tom (25 October 2020). "'The Empty Man' Opens at Empty Theaters as Weekend Box Office Grosses Less Than $10 Million". IndieWire. no reviews (even the trades didn’t check in over the weekend), and a D+ Cinemascore.
  22. Adams, Nate (October 23, 2020). "Review: Hollow 'The Empty Man' an overlong supernatural thriller that goes nowhere". The Only Critic. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  1. Although 20th Century Studios is credited under its current name in the movie and marketing, the 20th Century Fox logo appears at the beginning as the film was developed and initially intended to be released before 20th Century Fox's name was changed by Disney.
  2. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is uncredited in all media for this film.
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