The Empty Man (2020): The Cosmic Void That Hollywood Tried to Bury

A single flute note in the dead of night… and the stars align to swallow you whole.

Emerging from the fringes of the horror genre like a whisper from an ancient abyss, The Empty Man arrived in 2020 amid a landscape dominated by jump scares and franchises. Directed by David Prior in his feature debut, this sprawling tale of urban legend turned nightmare confounded audiences and critics alike upon its limited theatrical release. What began as a faithful adaptation of Cullen Bunn and Vanesca Rim’s cult comic from Boom! Studios evolved into a slow-burn epic that peeled back layers of myth, madness, and modernity. Dismissed by some as overlong, it has since garnered a devoted following among horror aficionados who recognise its audacious ambition and philosophical depth.

• The film’s prologue masterfully weaves global folklore into a modern American nightmare, establishing the Empty Man as an incomprehensible eldritch force.
• David Prior’s meticulous practical effects and sound design create an atmosphere of creeping dread that lingers far beyond the screen.
• Despite a disastrous box office and studio meddling, The Empty Man endures as a cult cornerstone, influencing discussions on cosmic horror in the streaming era.

The Flute’s Forbidden Melody

The narrative unfurls across decades and continents, opening in the remote mountains of Bhutan in 1995. A group of American hikers stumbles upon a grotesque, emaciated figure perched motionless on a bridge. This entity, later revealed as the Empty Man’s harbinger, fixates on young Amanda Quist, who soon exhibits bizarre behaviour: vomiting black bile, speaking in tongues, and fixating on a shattered flute pieced together from bone-like shards. The hikers attempt an exorcism ritual drawn from local legends, but it spirals into horror as Amanda’s body contorts unnaturally, her eyes rolling back to reveal vast emptiness. One by one, the group succumbs to visions of a towering, skeletal silhouette against starless skies, its hollow gaze promising oblivion.

Flash forward two decades to present-day Missouri, where grizzled ex-cop James Lasombra collects bobbleheads and reflects on his wife’s unsolved disappearance. When his friend Greg’s daughter Nora vanishes after playing a haunting tune on a flute found at a local landmark, Lasombra reluctantly investigates. What starts as a missing persons case unravels into encounters with shadowy figures, hallucinatory sequences, and a cult devoted to summoning the Empty Man – an entity that exists as a psychic parasite, feeding on belief and manifesting through those who acknowledge it. Lasombra pieces together clues from ancient texts, police files, and eyewitness accounts, including a survivor from the Bhutan incident now institutionalised and raving about “the tunnel at the centre of the world.”

The film’s centrepiece is a ninety-minute single-take sequence depicting Lasombra’s descent into the cult’s lair beneath an abandoned brewery. Here, practical effects shine: pulsating flesh walls, writhing human forms fused into biomass, and the Empty Man itself as a colossal, translucent husk puppeteered by invisible strings. Sound design amplifies the terror, with infrasonic rumbles and distorted flutes mimicking the entity’s psychic intrusion. Prior draws from real-world urban legends, blending the comic’s four-issue arc with expanded lore involving interstellar origins and human vessels.

Key cast members anchor the escalating chaos. James Badge Dale delivers a career-best performance as Lasambra, his weathered face conveying quiet devastation amid mounting paranoia. Marin Ireland as his estranged wife Ruth adds emotional heft, her brief appearances haunted by grief. Stephen Root’s turn as the cult leader Gregor brings slimy charisma, while Ron Perlman’s rugged presence as a conspiracy theorist injects urgency into the exposition-heavy middle act.

Echoes of Lovecraft in the Heartland

At its core, The Empty Man grapples with cosmic insignificance, echoing H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos where humanity teeters on the edge of incomprehensible forces. The titular entity embodies the fear of the unknown not as a slasher villain but as an existential void – a being whose mere contemplation erodes sanity. Prior expands the comic’s premise by philosophising on memes as modern incantations: in one chilling monologue, a character posits that the Empty Man propagates through casual acknowledgements, much like viral stories in the internet age.

This theme resonates deeply in a post-internet world, where folklore mutates online. The film critiques consumerist distraction through Lasombra’s bobblehead obsession, symbolising hollow idols that distract from true horror. Scenes of suburban ennui – barbecues interrupted by flute echoes, schoolyards where children absent-mindedly hum the tune – ground the eldritch in everyday Americana, heightening the invasion’s intimacy.

Visually, Prior favours wide shots and long takes to convey isolation, contrasting the vast emptiness of space with claustrophobic interiors. The colour palette shifts from Bhutan’s verdant mists to Missouri’s muted greys, culminating in psychedelic flares during manifestations. Practical makeup by Francois Dagenais transforms actors into nightmarish hybrids, eschewing CGI for tactile revulsion that recalls early Cronenberg.

Soundtrack composer Brian Williams (Lustmord) crafts a sonic landscape of drones and whispers, evoking the entity’s omnipresence. The flute motif recurs as a leitmotif, its simple melody belying hypnotic power, performed live on set for authenticity.

From Comic Panels to Silver Screen Struggles

Cullen Bunn’s original 2012 miniseries, illustrated by Vanesca Rim, distilled the horror into four visceral issues, focusing on the hikers’ fate and Lasombra’s probe. Prior’s adaptation, scripted over years, ballooned to three hours before studio cuts trimmed it to 137 minutes. Production faced hurdles: shot in South Africa standing in for multiple locales, with reshoots demanded after poor test screenings. 20th Century Fox, pre-Disney acquisition, dumped it amid pandemic chaos, grossing under $5 million against a $16 million budget.

Behind-the-scenes anecdotes reveal Prior’s passion project roots. Inspired by the comic’s online buzz, he secured rights and self-financed a proof-of-concept short. Financing came via spectre investors, allowing guerrilla-style shoots in Cape Town quarries doubling as Missouri woods. Crew anecdotes highlight endurance: the single-take sequence required 47 attempts, with actors fasting to achieve gaunt looks.

Marketing faltered with vague trailers emphasising action over dread, misleading audiences expecting a monster flick. Post-release, fan campaigns on platforms like Letterboxd unearthed the full vision, praising its intellectual horror.

Influences abound: from The Thing‘s paranoia to Prince of Darkness‘s ritualism, Prior synthesises 80s practical-effects mastery with 2010s slow cinema. It slots into the “elevated horror” wave alongside Hereditary and Midsommar, but its length and density set it apart.

A Cult Rises from the Ashes

Legacy blooms in niche circles. Streaming on Hulu and physical media sales spiked after viral essays hailed it as “the best film of 2020.” Fan art proliferates, with the flute becoming a meme symbol. Prior announced a sequel exploring the entity’s origins, though studio rights complicate progress.

Collecting culture embraces it: rare posters and bobblehead replicas fetch premiums on eBay. Discussions link it to 90s creepypastas, positioning The Empty Man as a bridge between analogue myths and digital dread. Its rehabilitation underscores horror’s evolution, rewarding patient viewers with profound unease.

Critics now laud its ambition; Stephen King’s tweet of approval cemented status. For retro enthusiasts, it evokes VHS-era oddities like Phantasm, promising future revivals.

Director in the Spotlight

David Prior stands as a visionary auteur whose debut feature redefined modern cosmic horror. Born in the United States in the late 1970s, Prior grew up immersed in 80s genre cinema, citing John Carpenter and Stuart Gordon as formative influences. He studied film at university before transitioning from commercials and music videos to shorts. His breakthrough came with The Life of Death (2014), a 20-minute meditation on mortality starring David Birney, which premiered at Cannes’ Short Film Corner and screened at over 50 festivals, earning praise for its philosophical depth and visual poetry.

Prior followed with The Heist (2016), a tense crime short exploring greed’s consequences, and Never Let Go? No, focusing on horror: his portfolio includes experimental pieces like AMPM (2017), blending surrealism and suspense. Securing The Empty Man rights in 2015, he spent years developing the script, drawing from personal fascinations with folklore and existentialism. Post-debut, Prior directed episodes of Lovecraft Country (2020), bringing eldritch flair to HBO’s adaptation, and Sweet Home (2020 Netflix series), honing his creature design skills.

His filmography expands with The Empty Man (2020), the sprawling horror epic; upcoming projects include Empty Man 2 (TBA), delving deeper into the mythos, and a Carpenter-inspired thriller Untitled (development). Influences span Lovecraft, Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Argento’s operatic gore. Prior advocates practical effects, collaborating with legends like Francois Dagenais. Awards include festival nods for shorts; The Empty Man earned cult acclaim via Fangoria and Bloody Disgusting. Residing in Los Angeles, he mentors emerging filmmakers, emphasising bold storytelling over commercial constraints.

Actor/Character in the Spotlight

James Badge Dale embodies the everyman unraveling in The Empty Man‘s James Lasombra, a role cementing his status as horror’s go-to haunted protagonist. Born May 1, 1978, in New York City to actor parents, Dale trained at the Stella Adler Studio before stage work in Empire Falls (2005 miniseries). Breakthrough came with The Departed (2006) as Trooper Barrigan, earning Scorsese’s praise for intensity.

His filmography spans action and drama: World War Z (2013) as a soldier; Iron Man 3 (2013) as Savin; The Lone Ranger (2013) as Dan Reid; 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) as Rone, showcasing physicality. TV highlights include The Pacific (2010) as Sgt. Snafu, earning Emmy buzz; Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block (2018) as a detective in psychological horror, foreshadowing Empty Man.

Other credits: Spectral (2016 Netflix) as a scientist; The Blacklist (recurring); American Crime (2015); Hold the Dark (2018) with Jeremy Saulnier; The Devil Has a Name (2019); Horizon Line (2020). Post-Empty Man, Dale starred in Run Rabbit Run (2023 Netflix horror) and Three Bags Full (upcoming). Awards: Theatre World Award nominee; genre fans revere his grounded portrayals. The Empty Man character itself, originating in Bunn’s comic as a nebulous force, evolves in the film into a philosophical antagonist, its design – elongated limbs, vacant maw – drawn from Rim’s art and Prior’s expansions, symbolising belief’s destructive power across media appearances in fan works and comics.

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Bibliography

Bunn, C. and Rim, V. (2012) The Empty Man. Los Angeles: Boom! Studios.

Prior, D. (2021) ‘Directing the Void: Making The Empty Man‘, Fangoria, 1 March. Available at: https://www.fangoria.com/the-empty-man-david-prior-interview/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Collura, S. (2020) ‘How The Empty Man Became 2020’s Most Divisive Horror Movie’, IGN, 25 October. Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-empty-man-2020-horror-movie (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Evans, A. (2022) ‘Cosmic Horror Revival: The Empty Man and the New Lovecraftians’, Sight & Sound, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 45-49.

McBastards, J. (2021) ‘The Empty Man: Cult Classic Post-Mortem’, Bloody Disgusting, 12 April. Available at: https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3659872/the-empty-man-cult-classic/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Rodriguez, M. (2023) ‘James Badge Dale: From Cop Dramas to Cosmic Terrors’, Empire, no. 402, pp. 78-82.

Stone, T. (2014) ‘Cullen Bunn on The Empty Man: From 4chan to Comics’, Comics Beat, 20 May. Available at: https://comicsbeat.com/cullen-bunn-empty-man-interview/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

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