‘The Empty Man’ Theories, Meaning, Explanation, and Themes

Hard to think of a horror movie in recent years that has explored themes of identity as adeptly and horrifyingly as The Empty Man. 

There’s a lot here. So, let’s get into it. Here’s my analysis of The Empty Man.

Screenshot from “The Empty Man” trailer.

Top Theories About the Meaning and Themes of ‘The Empty Man’ (2020)

1. Loss of Self / the Erosion of Identity

Theory: The film explores how trauma and grief can erode one’s sense of self, ultimately leaving behind an “empty” shell for other forces—ideologies, cults, or delusions—to inhabit.

• Why It Fits:
  • James’s life, relationships, and memories are revealed to be fabricated. His grief and guilt are emotional voids, and the cult exploits that emptiness to make him a vessel. This suggests that profound trauma can hollow out identity, leaving people susceptible to manipulation.
• Key Moments:
  • James learning he’s a tulpa; his memories disintegrating; Nora not recognizing him; the staff bowing as he stands hollow-eyed and fully possessed.

2. Belief as a Virus

Theory: The Empty Man represents the contagious nature of belief—how ideas can spread like infections, reshaping reality through shared conviction.

• Why It Fits:
  • The Pontifex Institute builds its power by convincing people the Empty Man is real, and through their belief, he becomes real. James’s very existence is proof that belief can conjure matter from nothing, and the teenagers die after ritualistically “believing.”
• Key Moments:
  • Amanda whispering to friends who later die; the lecture at the Pontifex Institute; the reveal that James was created by collective belief; the Bhutan skeleton as an ancient locus of this thought-form.

3. Nihilism and the Void

Theory: The film depicts the horror of facing cosmic nothingness—the “empty” universe—and how people construct meaning (cults, myths, tulpas) to avoid staring into that void.

• Why It Fits:
  • The Empty Man is less a being than an embodiment of nothingness, and the cult worships it not for what it gives, but because it fills their fear of nothing. James’s collapse into unreality represents humanity’s desperate attempt to impose meaning on a meaningless universe.
• Key Moments:
  • The cavern skeleton as a visual void; Paul’s catatonia; James’s visions of emptiness; the cult revering nothingness as if it were divine.

4. Trauma as Contagion

Theory: The story suggests that unresolved trauma spreads like an infection, creating cycles of violence and self-destruction that echo through people and communities.

• Why It Fits:
  • Everyone who contacts the Empty Man ends up killing themselves or others. The cult weaponizes pain as a gateway. James’s grief over his family’s death becomes the hook that lets the Empty Man in. Trauma doesn’t just destroy one person; it warps everyone it touches.
• Key Moments:
  • Devara’s suicide; Ruthie’s killing spree in Bhutan; James’s grief spirals; Amanda describing how his pain “opened” him to the entity.

5. The Loss of Free Will

Theory: The film examines the terrifying possibility that free will is an illusion—that our actions and even identities are shaped by forces we can’t see or resist.

• Why It Fits:
  • Every step James takes is orchestrated by the cult. Even his emotions are engineered. The film suggests that what we perceive as choice may just be prewritten programming, which the cult exploits to birth their new Empty Man.
• Key Moments:
  • Amanda revealing James’s life is fabricated; his path from detective to chosen vessel; the eerie sense of inevitability leading him to kill Paul and take his place.

Key Themes in ‘The Empty Man’

The Fragility of Reality

The film blurs the line between what is real and what is imagined, showing how easily our sense of reality can be manipulated. As James’s memories unravel, the story questions how much of our lives are constructed narratives that can be rewritten or erased.

The Power of Collective Belief

While presented through a horror lens, the film explores how shared belief can create tangible power. The Pontifex Institute thrives on uniting followers under a single idea, suggesting that the strength of belief can reshape not just minds but the world itself.

Isolation and Alienation

James’s journey is marked by emotional and social isolation. He is cut off from friends, lovers, and even his own past, reflecting the disconnection many feel when grappling with loss or existing on the edges of society.

The Search for Meaning in Chaos

The characters cling to cults, rituals, and myths to impose meaning on a seemingly senseless world. This theme underscores humanity’s desperation to find purpose, even if that purpose comes from something dark and destructive.

The Corruption of Grief

Grief is shown as a powerful but corrosive force. Rather than leading to healing, James’s grief becomes a vulnerability that makes him a target, illustrating how sorrow can be exploited and twisted into something destructive.

Plot Summary

• Year Released: 2020
• Director: David Prior
• Writer: David Prior & Cullen Bunn

Former detective James Lasombra investigates the disappearance of a teen girl, Amanda, and uncovers a cult called the Pontifex Institute that worships a mysterious entity known as the Empty Man. As James digs deeper, he finds that the cult uses belief and trauma to create “tulpas,” physical beings born from thought. He eventually discovers that he himself is a tulpa, fabricated by the cult and implanted with false memories to become the Empty Man’s next vessel, as his identity and reality collapse into nothingness.

Movies Like ‘The Empty Man’

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Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

A traumatized Vietnam veteran experiences terrifying hallucinations as his reality unravels, blurring the line between life, death, and delusion.

—> Watch Jacob’s Ladder online.

The Wailing (2016)

A mysterious illness spreads through a rural Korean village, and a policeman’s investigation spirals into paranoia, superstition, and spiritual corruption.

—> Watch The Wailing online.

Kill List (2011)

Two hitmen take on a strange assignment that drags them into a pagan cult, eroding their sense of morality, identity, and control over their own actions.

—> Watch Kill List online.

Noroi: The Curse (2005)

A documentary filmmaker investigates a series of linked paranormal events, uncovering an ancient curse that thrives on belief and grows more real as it spreads.

—> Watch Noroi: The Curse online.

The Mist (2007)

After a supernatural mist traps a group of townspeople in a store, fear and desperation give rise to cult-like behavior, showing how belief can become deadly.

—> Watch The Mist online.

The Lodge (2019)

Isolated in a snowbound cabin, a grieving woman’s traumatic past resurfaces as her perception of reality fractures, threatening the children in her care.

—> Watch The Lodge online.

Have Your Own ‘The Empty Man’ Theory?

Let me know what I’ve missed here, because I’m sure there’s more to talk about.

Send me your thoughts and theories about The Empty Man in the comments.

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