The Empty Man (2020)
2020
R
137 Minutes
Retired cop James Lasombra is asked by a friend to investigate the disappearance of her daughter, who seemingly packed in the night and left an ominous message on the bathroom mirror - "The Empty M...
User Review
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Just the mere name of this movie was enough to annoy me upon first glance: “The Empty Man?” Seriously? My first initial thoughts was somebody took the the concepts of Bye Bye Man and Slender Man, rebranded the entire experience while changing absolutely nothing about either film and just slapped it on another cookie cutie cheap jumpscare shlock. So imagine my complete bewilderment upon discovering how enjoyable this actually was, to the point where I actually think it’s my biggest surprise film of the year.
Unlike the previous two films I mentioned, this one has a more natural sense of its intention behind its scares, for its use of creepy imagery and ambient music and sound design build enough suspense in supplying the atmosphere necessary to make the audience feel uncomfortable. On top of that, cinematography and editing are honed in at a fascinatingly gripping capacity, acting is mostly competent as well as its ironclad pacing and emphatic production design, dialogue is simple but effective just like the films hokey concept and the direction from David Prior was presented and executed in a carefully crafted art house that doesn’t lack ambition or skill; given this was also written and edited by him, every single one of these aspects feels dedicated to a T. While the narrative is effectively drawn out by the final act of the film, I guess it works to its advantage with the lack of a payoff and somewhat implausible resolution tying into, what I believe, is the Empty Man’s underlying themes; combining Lovecraftian cosmic horror and a plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan salivate.
Anybody who does know that this film exists, I probably would recommend seeing it to get into the Halloween spirit because even if you don’t understand it, it succeeds in supplying the creepy atmosphere this season entails. Other than that, this movie is anything BUT empty.0 member like this review.
