The Empty Man – A Supernatural Horror Spiked with Occultism
The Empty Man is a supernatural horror film, drawn from the graphic novel that centers on shocking events originating in a small Midwestern town. After the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenagers, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale), a troubled retired cop, is thrust into action to investigate.
The movie revolves around the story of a murderous supernatural entity who is prowling around a cult’s belief system in St. Louis, Missouri. This is a dark-themed mystery that comes with possession, a supernatural entity, occultism and kids pushed to self-harm.
The plot starts in Bhutan in 1995 where four backpackers are thrown into a panic when one of them falls into the cave and goes into a catatonic state. After lots of Chanted Mantras, Visions in the mountains, and followed by a grave violence act, it flashes forward to 2018 in Missouri. In Missouri, Former detective James (James Badge Dale) is working as a personal security expert.
When Amanda (Sasha Frolova), the teenage daughter of his ex-lover Nora (Marin Ireland) seemingly runs away, James starts investigating and learns about the legend about The Empty Man. When local teens start disappearing rapidly, James and Nora start to worry more about Amanda’s safety.
His investigations lead him into the woods outside of St. Louis where he discovers members of an institute gathering around a bonfire chanting mantras. When James finally connects the dots between the event in Bhutan and the recent events of Missouri, he is less than prepared to know his connection to all of it.
The Empty Man has a well-crafted story with a great cast to complete the look. But it feels like this movie was quite assertive with its main scares and less intriguing with the main mystery. The moview showcases a worthwhile screenplay which could have been improved with some more work on the rewrites.
The cinematography for this movie is excellent, the first scene with bright snow is just as daunting as the last scene with the dark shadows. But, the Empty Man has the potential to be a Miniseries instead of a movie. It feels like rushed and a lot of movie has been cramped into that 137 minutes.
This movie is based on the comic book series which was published in 2014 and was shot way back in 2017, only to be released in 2020. If you love to watch horror movies, you will enjoy the vibe of The Empty Man.