The acquisition of Fox by Disney in 2019 didn’t just mean that the House of Mouse was able to acquire the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Aliens, and Predator; it had vast implications for both studios for their newly merged future. Unfortunately, this merger also had some negatives for a few projects that had been previously made by Fox. Such is the case with a major 2020 horror movie that had a theatrical release during the worst time for cinematic experiences. Luckily, while said spooky film might have had a disastrous time at the movies, it became a fan-favorite on streaming, and if you’re a horror fan, it’s well worth a watch.
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The Empty Man was released in 2020 to theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to this release date, it was destined to fail cinematically. With quarantine measures closing many theaters during this time, the horror movie was unable to find an audience, thanks to theater-goers being unable to attend their usual screenings. Even though The Empty Man had a production budget of $16 million, it was unable to prove to be a financial success as it only brought in a little under $5 million in theaters. Luckily, the movie is available to stream on Hulu, and if you’re a horror fan, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t checked this one out.
The Empty Man’s Comic Book Origins
The Empty Man has a hefty run time of one hundred and thirty-seven minutes, detailing the story of James Lasombra. A one-time detective who is struggling with the loss of his family, James finds himself dragged into an urban legend of the titular creature. Where this movie truly shines isn’t just in its spooky scenes, but with its sharp storytelling as the cerebral experience traverses some wild territory. The 2020 film also has quite the twist to cap off its runtime, throwing a major curveball at viewers. While The Empty Man never received a physical release, it can currently be streamed on Hulu if you haven’t had the chance to check out this horror movie.
If you weren’t aware, The Empty Man got its start as a comic book series from Boom Studios. Written by Cullen Bunn with art from Vanesa R. Del Rey and Jesús Hervás, the comic is far vaster and features far more ghastly creatures than the movie it inspired. Housing three story arcs with The Empty Man, The Empty Man: Recurrence, and The Empty Man: Manifestation, the Boom comic does an excellent job of navigating horror in the printed format, though it has not confirmed any future comics under this horror banner. Bunn has long been a prolific writer in the comic book industry, responsible for other series including The Sixth Gun, Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, The Venomverse, and Harrow County, to name a few. Thanks to Bunn’s creativity with this horror comic, The Empty Man has become a cult fan-favorite both in the comics and on the screen.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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