The Empty Man was a rollercoaster of emotion. Actually it’s more like a log flume because it starts out pleasantly enough, then sharply drops you and never brings you back up again. With trailers that made it appear to be a copy of Slender Man and Bye Bye Man, I was fully prepared to hate this film. However, there was a time, about a half hour into the film, that I was shocked by how good this is. Perhaps, I thought, this was just a case of failed marketing. Maybe, just maybe, this was a hidden gem. Unfortunately, the film then continued for what felt like a frigging eternity and all optimism was gradually drained from my soul. Slender Man and Bye Bye Man are examples of what untalented people can do with shitty material. The Empty Man is what can happen when talented people are working with shitty material. The end result is still crap, but its crap with frustrating glimmers of hope
The Empty Man is 2 hours and 17 minutes long. I think that bears repeating: The Empty Man is a horror film and its 2 fucking hours and 17 minutes long. That is goddamn absurd. I have tried to think of longer horror movies and all I can come up with is The Shining. It may also set the record for longest pre-title screen sequence, as the prologue lasts a solid 20 minutes before the title appears on screen. The only comparable film that I can think of there is the remake of Friday the 13th, which has a prologue so fucking long that I thought the film might be over when the title finally appeared. From a narrative perspective, those opening 20 minutes could also be cut from the film and instead handled with a couple of brief flashbacks especially since the opening takes place in remote mountains about 20 years prior to the main part of the story. The problem with that plan is that the opening is easily the best part of the film. The beginning of this film is atmospheric, well-shot and creepy. It is also unfortunately the peak of the film and then the flume begins its rapid, yet painfully long descent.
We flash forward about 20 years and are introduced by our main character, an ex-cop that is searching for a missing girl. At this point, for about 20 minutes or so, I was still with this. Then the film continued for another 2 hours. Two agonizing, increasingly non-sensical hours. The film reaches a point where it is seemingly throwing in random nonsense and increasingly asinine plot twists because somebody bet the filmmakers that they couldn’t make the longest horror film ever made. This all culminates in a final plot twist that defies all logic, falls apart under any scrutiny and put the final nail in the coffin of my dream that this would be a decent movie.
I’m being vague about the plot because I don’t entirely understand the plot. Even aside from the painfully stupid final twist, I’m still not sure what exactly this is about. The opening of the film sets up a solid mystery and the remainder makes sure that mystery remains even after you’ve seen the fucking thing. What or who is the Empty Man? What does he do? What is his goal? After seeing the film, I feel like I should be able to answer these questions, but I have no fucking idea. Much like Slender Man and Bye Bye Man, Empty Man fails to establish any clear rules, abilities or mythology for its villain. There is never any real threat because I never knew what was at stake or even what the character could do. Basic shit like character motivation, or even definition, shouldn’t be that hard. Just watch Candyman, the rare “Something Man” horror movie that bother to explain its title character.
Despite a terrible script that somehow manages to be both underdeveloped and way too goddamn long, there are aggravatingly solid things here. This is the directorial debut of David Prior and I look forward to seeing what the man can do with decent material. This looks far better than the typical teenaged horror bullshit that it unfortunately imitates and there are some genuinely creepy moments here. Relying far more on mood and atmosphere than cheap jump scares, Prior has an eye for horror that will make me take notice of his future work. The cast is fairly unknown but solid, especially with a strong performance from James Badge Dale in the lead role. Dale plays the part as if this is a noir thriller rather than derivative horror flick and the approach brings a gravitas to the proceedings that is rarely found in these kinds of things. It all adds up to a level of talent that the film doesn’t deserve.
The Empty Man is not the goddawful trash of something like Slender Man, but it is somehow a more disappointing experience for it. The complete absurdity of the last five or six hours of the film’s ridiculous running time pisses all over the surprising promise of the first 30 minutes or so. It feels almost like a demo reel for the filmmakers to show in hopes of getting a better project. If you catch it on tv, watch the first 20 minutes and then move on with your day.
Image By: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empty_Man_(film)#/media/File:The_Empty_Man_Film_Poster.png
