The Empty Man (2020)
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An ex-cop's investigation into a missing girl leads him into a conspiracy involving a cult and a terrifying ancient entity.
The story
In 2018 Missouri, former detective James Lasombra is mourning the loss of his wife and son in a tragic accident. His life is disrupted when his neighbor's daughter, Amanda, goes missing, leaving behind a cryptic note about 'The Empty Man.' As James investigates the disappearance, he uncovers a mysterious group known as the Pontifex Institute. His search leads him to a local legend and a terrifying reality involving a cult that seeks to summon an ancient entity. James must navigate a web of secrets and supernatural occurrences to find the truth behind the girl's disappearance and the true nature of the entity known as the Empty Man.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins in 1995 in Bhutan, where four friends encounter a massive, ancient humanoid skeleton in a cave. One friend, Paul, becomes catatonic after being warned not to touch the entity. Years later in 2018, detective James Lasombra investigates the disappearance of his neighbor's daughter, Amanda. He finds a note claiming 'The Empty Man' made her run away and discovers a flier for the Pontifex Institute. James learns that the cult believes in 'tulpas' and seeks to summon the Empty Man, an entity that grants desires in exchange for servitude. During his investigation, James finds a ritual site and eventually confronts a cult member, Garrett, who reveals that Paul—the man from the 1995 incident—is currently the entity's 'speaker' in a hospital. James finds Amanda in Paul's room; she reveals that James himself is a 'tulpa,' a vessel created by the cult to house the entity. She explains his memories were fabricated to ensure the deity's connection through his grief. In a final confrontation, James enters a limbo-like plane where the entity enters his body. He eventually executes Paul and is accepted by the cult members as the new vessel for the nameless entity.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 137
- Production countries
- United States; South Africa; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Prior
- Writers
- David Prior · writer
- Cast and characters
- James Badge Dale · James Lasombra; Marin Ireland · Nora; Aaron Poole · Paul
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror thriller
- Themes
- memory erasure; cults; death
- Tone and mood
- supernatural; surreal
- Setting
- Bhutan (1995) and Missouri (2018)
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; horror; cult_conspiracy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Empty Man graphic novel by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, initially criticized for its pacing but later gaining a cult following and critical reappraisal as a 'modern cult favorite'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 29
- Production trivia
- The film was the last to feature the original 20th Century Fox logo in its entirety.; The film was originally scheduled for release on August 7, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The creature design was inspired by paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński and the Space Jockey from Alien.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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