The Empty Man

The opening sequence is fantastic and promises so much. Everything after that felt like the movie lost its way a little.

Not a bad movie, just could've been much more.

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 saw this without watching the trailer or without reading anything bah it. Well, the pacing is its biggest issue but the movie is complemented with good acting, good lighting and a moody n surrealistic atmosphere.

The movie is captivating n creepy at times.

The first 22 mins is amazingly shot with oodles of atmosphere n some creepy stuff.

At first i thot this might be another rip off of Candyman, Boogeyman, Bye Bye Man, Slender Man, etc.

I went into The Empty Man not knowing anything about it. It was dumped out of nowhere and by the looks of the trailer I figured why. It seemed like a teen horror in the vein of countdown, truth or dare, or even bye bye man. But after the first twenty minutes of this film, I knew I was in for something much different. There is some truly chilling scenes in here, and the atmosphere just adds to the sense of dread. Now the climax of the film does get a bit clunky, but I imagine with this being based on a comic series, it's a lot more flushed out there, but even with an almost 2 1/2 hour run time, it felt like more was needed to be explained. Overall I came out of the empty man not feeling empty at all. It deserves an audience.

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.