The Empty Man (2020) is a supernatural horror film directed by David Prior, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Cullen Bunn. The film follows James Lasombra, a man struggling with the grief of losing his family in a tragic accident. His life takes a dark turn when he becomes involved in a disturbing investigation surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a young woman named Amanda and her connection to a sinister urban legend.
James, a former detective driven out of the force by his guild, helps a former friend/lover trace her missing daughter. The daughter went missing after summoning the Empty Man with her friends a couple of nights before. The way this urban legend ritual works is that you find an empty bottle on a bridge, blow into it, and think of the Empty Man. Soon after, the group starts going missing one by one.
Eventually, James discovers the bodies of the group members hanging below the bridge, in what is believed to be, a massive ritual suicide, seeing as how there were no signs of struggle.
James then traces the origin of the ritual back to a cult and finds the daughter of his friend not just alive but also the leader of the cult.
What is James? – A Human Antenna
One of the most exciting concepts of the movie is the extraterrestrial or paranormal forces that the cult is trying to get in touch with. You see, in this universe, there are forces beyond our world that use the Empty Man to send commands to the cult.
Also, remember that this ‘receiver’ concept is not foreign to our world either. Every prophet who ever lived claimed to simply be the messenger and that the message itself came from a higher power. Even mediums claim that it’s not they who are talking but that the spirits speak through them instead.
Why does the Empty Man kill?
As far as we can tell, the Empty Man kills for two reasons. The first one is to protect the ‘antenna’ person, and the second is to enhance the level of fear within the community. The more people believe in the Empty Man, the more people think about it. In a world where thought can be harnessed and physically materialized, this is more than enough in terms of motivation.
What happened to Paul?
By touching the previous ‘antenna’, Paul took over its role. A similar thing, eventually, probably happened to James. Still, James is not like other recipients. He’s not a human in a traditional sense but an actual embodiment of the ‘will’ of the cult. So, he might actually be able to receive the message from the spirit world without going into a comatose.
The Power of Will
No one can deny that the power of will is almost limitless. With it, creatures who were never meant to be able to fly to space, survive some of the world’s vicious illnesses, or hunt some of this planet’s most dangerous creatures, are now able to do it with ease.
Even simple civic engagement project ideas can completely transform entire communities and reshape the lives of our youth. Sure, this movie takes it all a step further and requires us to suspend our disbelief; however, the message itself is nothing uncommon.
The biggest question is one regarding the moral aspect of the story. If a concentrated thought could make physical manifestations, what would it be used for? Here, the message of the movie becomes quite chilling – aliens, gods, spirits, etc.
The Empty Man: Experience Vs Reality
Our experiences form our personalities, but they are far from being objectively real. Some people suffer horrible traumatic experiences that leave no trace on them, while others get scarred by something seemingly trivial. The most straightforward roadmap would go something like this:
Now, memories are deeply flawed, but the process itself creates a lot of room for misinterpretation. You see, humans are more likely to remember the experience rather than the event itself. If we remember a unique dish that we tasted once in our childhood as delicious, chances are that, over time, this deliciousness will be amplified many times over.
When it comes to the movie’s example itself – James believes that his wife and child died in a car crash while he was with his mistress. He’s guilt-ridden, and this guilt is reflected in everything from his demeanor all the way to his decision-making. So, regardless of what happened (or didn’t), one might argue that these events were real for James.
While some of the concepts sound pretty interesting, the movie can hardly be considered a success. Early on, some predicted this movie might turn out to be a cult classic, but such a thing is doubtful. Even at 1h 30 minutes, this movie would probably feel empty, but the film itself is over 2 hours long (2h and 17m, to be more precise). In other words, while the ideas were quite