When Fox was bought out by Disney, there were a good many films that landed up in limbo.  Some of them were pretty big named movies like THE CALL OF THE WILD (2020) starring Harrison Ford which would go on to have some critical success.  But others like the horror film, THE EMPTY MAN (2020), had no major stars nor was it a conventional supernatural thriller.  It was an odd ball of a film with arthouse undertones as well as little that gave it mainstream curiosity. 

A former police officer, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale), grieves the death of his wife and son who died in a car accident.  When his friend’s daughter goes missing, he agrees to “take on the case” and try to find out what happened.  His discoveries lead to an urban legend called the Empty Man – a supernatural being that will seek out any who calls its name.  As he digs deeper into the mystery, he finds out that a local institute may actually be a cover for a mysterious cult.

The film was released in October 2020, which seems fine for a horror film and Halloween, but in the middle of COVID, it drew little audiences.  The marketing for the movie also focused on the urban legend of the Empty Man which left many viewers confused after watching it.  Dark Discussions takes a look at this much maligned film that’s slowly being re-evaluated as a possible masterpiece.