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(SPOILER ALERT) just on the name alone, i had my doubts going in. i didn't know anything about The Empty Man except it reminded me of Slender Man, which i also know next to nothing about (except that news story where kids were killing other kids). this movie is actually based on the graphic novel of the same name. filmed in 2017, the test screen responses for The Empty Man were so bad they lost faith in the movie and buried it until october of last year. then it came out on streaming services later and gained a cult following. go figure.
this 2 hours plus journey into WTF started strong, a 22 minute intro of hikers 20 some years ago in Bhutan where things go horribly wrong and the premise is laid out. fast forward to recent times, an ex-cop who lost his wife and child is now investigating some mysterious disappearances and stumbles into the lore of the Empty Man.
sort of like a hobo version of the Candy Man, if you just happen to be on a bridge and perchance find an empty bottle, then blow into it (duh), and THEN think hard about the Empty Man, that night you will hear him. the next night you will see him, and then the next night he's basically going to kill you. if this is all you need to make up a folk tale legend, i have a few ideas... empty toilet paper roll man, full trash can man, ran out of gas man, you get the idea.
anyway i fought against my reservations and stayed engaged with this movie and thought it was pretty good. a mysterious cult of the empty man was uncovered as part of the backstory and made things even more compelling. a few legitimate creepy moments thrown in, the hunter becomes the hunted! and the movie is cooking along and... what time is it? how much longer IS this movie? oh lord 40 more minutes, fine.
as The Empty Man gets to the finale, my expectations are sky high. suddenly the story steps through a portal to a different reality and then... takes a proverbial dump. completely snapped me out of rooting for the movie. i guess i'll blame the graphic novel, but with a slight rewrite this probably could have been an epic franchise. or maybe not. still, this movie is worth a watch, and you might hate the plot twist ending less than i did. 6.5 empty bottles on a bridge out of 10.
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