10 Movies Ruined By Their Title

3. The Empty Man

The Empty Man (2020)
20th Century Studios

The Empty Man is one of the most surprisingly great horror films of the last five years, yet it was ultimately sent out to die by Fox who clearly had no faith in the project.

Its commercial failure despite solid reviews can largely be attributed to its title, which immediately paints it as the most generic-ass supernatural horror flick imaginable.

It instantly drew wholly unearned comparisons to prior horror schlock like Slender Man and The Bye Bye Man, instead of giving the film any sort of distinct identity of its own.

It also allowed critics to make the low-blow joke that it screened to mostly empty cinemas in October 2020.

And yet, The Empty Man enjoyed something of a resurgence when it released on home video, where horror fans slowly began to discover the film for themselves and appreciate that, despite its algorithmic name, it's actually an exceptionally well crafted and atmospheric piece of work.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.