The Empty Man is a bit of a surprise. I didn’t expect much from it… and certainly if I’d seen the trailer beforehand, I’d have thought even less. I just went in with the only understanding that some people thought it was surprisingly good. And they aren’t wrong… but it also feels like a movie at odds with itself.

The film is, on its surface, about an urban legend in the vein of a Candyman, or The Ring, or the Bye Bye Man, or Slenderman… but don’t let those last two scare you off. The idea of an Empty Man who you summon out of ignorance, disbelief, or a stupid dare who then haunts you is only some window dressing on a movie that’s really about a cult and a man investigating what they are up to. And the eerie, creepy things that start to happen around him.

And a lot of this movie is really effective, sinister, and atmospheric. It generates a sense of gloom, a mood of unease. It’s a fairly lengthy movie and it does a pretty impressive job of maintaining that foreboding which is a tough balancing act. There’s a certain sense of mystery and confusion as well… and some might argue that this goes on for too long or that the film makers didn’t really have a concrete ending. That’s possible but I think there’s enough big ideas and concepts to decipher a somewhat cryptic final act.

What doesn’t work about the mystery is this weird insistence on personifying some of the dread with The Empty Man lore. This feels out of place, making the lurking, atmospheric, otherworldly dread just a little too concrete. And, I suspect, it’s there to have something to put in the trailer for the kids… a bit of a “you remember this kind of movie?” dangle to trick people who go in expecting a Freddie Kruger or Slenderman. It just feels out of place and something stuck in at the studio’s request who might have trouble marketing it otherwise.

But, hey, it’s still a good solid creepy film. It may not ultimately appeal to everyone, especially people who think horror movies are one long line of jump scares . This movie wants to live in the corner of your mind and I think it manages to get 90% there. It’s a surprisingly strong effort for something that’s so mis-marketed.

Score: 84