The Empty Man

When I saw that 'The Empty Man' was going to be 137 minutes long it had a little reluctant to go to it. The reason is that if a horror movie isn't good then even a 90 minute runtime can be an absolute drag. It's a real gamble for a film in that genre to be anywhere near two hours, let alone well past it. I usually try to avoid trailers for movies before I see them but on this occasion I did happen to catch it. It didn't fill me with confidence. Luckily the trailer is actually a little misleading, and the film actually has quite a different feel to it. Even though I wouldn't say I loved this movie by any means, it did have enough going on to keep it watchable for that runtime - just.

The first thing I have to say is that the film is beautifully shot. There were a number of expertly crafted shots throughout the film, but one tracking shot from a map that turns into a forest and then finds its way down to a car driving through it was truly exquisite. I love that the artistic touches Ari Aster fills his films with are starting to inspire other directors.

The second thing that occurs to me is that isn't really a horror movie, or at least not solely a horror movie. Apparently it is based on a comic series which are more like dark detective stories. That's kind of the vibe I got here and why I think this was able to survive a 137 minute push. It isn't just a case of passing from character to character and watching a new and inventive way for them to die. In fact the film is very rarely scary. I say that more in the sense that it doesn't actually try to be scary all that often, however when it does try it rarely hits the mark either sadly.

If you're a fan of ASMR then you are likely going to have a good time with this film. There is a lot of it in the film and it is a pleasure to listen to (although it can be a risk to have you dozing off). I have a very middling opinion on this film. I neither hated it nor loved it. I wouldn't recommend people go out of their way to see it, but if they were going to see it I certainly wouldn't dissuade them either. Don't be too put off by the trailer is all I would say. It is not an accurate representation of the film.

I basically goes from awesome to a bit less awesome, then way awesome, to wtf. In a nutshell.

It's easy to see why people would dislike this. It really comes down to taste, not anything wrong with the movie.

I haven't read the graphic novels, so I'm only going to base anything I say off the movie. And I really found this to be a good blend of real myths, real philosophies, real cults, and horror tropes.

Yes, it might come across as borrowing from anything and everything, but that actually fits one of the philosophies discussed by the cult: everything is connected and is the same.

I enjoyed the score; it underpinned how scenes should be interpreted without TELLING you how to feel like many tense movies do. The lighting and camerawork helped play out the story, and the set design gave a grimeyness that made the evil seem more ancient. Good dialogue and good acting. Definitely a slow burn that takes you were you need to be.

A little bit Call of Cthulhu, a little bit Wicker Man, a little Vanilla Sky. Just a little bit of a lot of somewhat cerebral horrors. Not a fast-paced jumpscare teen slasher flick by any means.

Hard to determine if this was a good movie or if I even liked it because I had no clue what was actually happening.

A surreal & haunting supernatural horror that's steeped in myth & smeared with pure cosmic dread, The Empty Man is an ingeniously layered & gradually escalating nightmare that ranks amongst the most audacious horror entries in recent years. Invoking an ominous atmosphere from its opening moments and ratcheting up the suspense with terrific use of genre elements, it's a shame that this gem flew under the radar last year.

Written & directed by David Prior in his feature film debut, the film opens with a neatly crafted & downright effective prologue that paves a strong enough foundation for its main story. Prior takes his time with the premise and allows the foreboding aura to envelop the surroundings in a natural fashion and doesn't hurry through the proceedings. Its consistent scares, unsettling vibe, occult elements & existential themes further amplify our interest in it.

Adding more sinister touches to the viewing experience are its clinical camerawork, brooding score, eerie sound design, methodical editing, arresting mythology & disturbing imagery. The first half of the film is top-notch storytelling. It is in the remaining half that it begins to falter a bit and becomes entangled in its own ideas. Performances are convincing, with James Badge Dale aptly articulating his character's confusion, fear & uncertainty about his own reality.

Overall, The Empty Man brims with a menacing quality, is unrelenting in its intensity, and has all the makings of a cult classic, something it is destined to become in the years to come. An impressive start to David Prior's feature filmmaking career, his debut feature exhibits his firm grip on elements of horror & mystery and is anything but an empty cinematic experience. It's the studio's fault that they couldn't figure out how to market this ambitious ontological terror but sooner or later, The Empty Man will find its audience.