2021 had some great horror movies, from theCandymanremake toAntlers,Malignant, andThe Night House. But some 2021 horror movies flew under the radar, and that includes a story about four pals hiking and discovering a cult. This underrated film has a 39% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, but that’s only from just over 100 ratings. Chances are if more horror fans saw this movie, they would rave to their friends about its unique premise and scary atmosphere.
With a wise premise, a fast pace, and good characters, the 2021 horror movieThe Empty Manwasn’t talked about much when it came out. And in the years since, it seems to have faded into the background. Horror fans should definitely check outThe Empty Man.They won’t be disappointed by this movie that deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten.
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What Is The Empty Man About?
The Empty Manopens with four pals named Paul (Aaron Poole), Greg (Evan Jonigkeit), Ruthie (Virginia Kull), and Fiona (Jessica Matten) hiking and discovering a strange ghost. When Paul hurts himself by falling right into a crevice, a spirit from a cave takes over Paul after stalking Fiona. It becomes clear that the group can’t escape this spirit, whatever it is. Ruthie kills Fiona and Greg and then jumps off a nearby cliff. This is a strong opening scene that is filled with a creepy atmosphere and makesThe Empty Mana contender for one of thebest horror movies of the 2020s.
The Empty Manthen cuts to 2018 when James Lasombra (James Badge Dale) has lost his child and wife. The cult of a spirit called The Empty Man becomes clear when Nora Quaill’s (Marin Ireland), who lives nearby, daughter Amanda (Sasha Frolova) wrote “The Empty Man made me do it” in blood in their bathroom.
There are someterrifying cults in moviesand The Empty Man is clearly a dangerous one. The movie never shies away from the fact that its members will do anything to summon the spirit and that they truly believe in this cause. The fact that a young girl like Amanda has been taken in is perhaps the most chilling part of the whole movie.
What Makes The Empty Man So Appealing?
The Empty Mantells a great story reminiscent of friends sitting around a campfire and trying to spook each other. It works so well and is such anunderrated horror movie from 2021because the movie does a great job of sharing details about the legend of The Empty Man. The main characters learn that people want to bring this spirit to life, and that can be done by blowing into an empty bottle on the bridge near where the four friends died.
The Empty Manis hard to stop watching because cults are often a fascinating topic for media. It’s always interesting to see how people become drawn into this kind of group and what their beliefs are. At some moments,The Empty Manmight remind fans ofThe Slender Man, which is apoor Creepypasta adaptation. However,The Empty Manis much more well-done and genuinely scary.
How Does The Empty Man End?
The Empty Manends with the revelation that when James lost his wife and child, he was sleeping with Nora, which adds an extra layer to their dynamic throughout the movie. James finds out that Paul is in the hospital and that members of The Empty Man’s cult have been coming into his room and hoping that he will get out of his coma soon.
Amanda is there, too, and she says that the cult is looking to find a host for The Empty Man because Paul won’t survive much longer. She says that nothing that James thinks is his life is actually true and that the cult has been creating everything. When James tries to talk to Nora to prove Amanda wrong, Nora says that she has never heard of James.
Sadly,The Empty Manisn’t often considered one of thebest horror movies of the 2020s. But the story is told smartly and carefully and the last act is asatisfying horror movie ending.
In the final scene ofThe Empty Man, the spirit of The Empty Man goes into James’s body and James kills Paul. He is now the cult leader. In some ways, the ending ofThe Empty Mancan be compared tothe ending ofHereditarywhen Peter (Alex Wolff) becomes the new leader of the cult of Paimon. Of course,Hereditaryends on a much more disturbing note, but the spirit is the same. When it comes to cults and evil spirits in horror movies, it’s clear that no one can escape.
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