Includes SPOILERS for The Gorge!

The Hollow Men and other terrifying creatures are among the antagonists in Apple TV's latest sci-fi/horror thriller, The Gorge, and their origins are worth breaking down. The new movie is led by movie stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, who play the characters Levi and Drasa, elite snipers who are tasked by a paramilitary organization to stand guard at a remote location. Quickly, Levi learns that there's more to the mission than what he's been told, including dangerous creatures that come from the depths of a misty gorge, some of which are referred to as "Hollow Men."

The Gorge is packed with mysteries, most of which surround an organization called Dark Lake. Represented by Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver), Dark Lake is a corporation that specializes in genetic research. Their project is to extract DNA samples from the Gorge and use them to create super soldiers. Rather than destroying this location, which could easily be accomplished, keeping the world safe from contamination and monsters, Dark Lake looks to harvest its potential scientific power, leading to Levi and Drasa rebelling in The Gorge's ending.

The Gorge's Hollow Men Were Named After The T.S. Eliot Poem

Eliot's Poem Describes A Purgatory-Like Existence

A crucial aspect of Levi's character is that he's fascinated by poetry. Beyond just being an elite sniper and private contractor, Levi has taken poetry classes, and he identifies the term "Hollow Men" from T. S. Eliot's 1925 poem of the same name. This poem's themes are heavily connected with The Gorge's thematic exploration, but they also help to create the mythology that filmmaker Scott Derickson is building with his new movie. As Levi explains, it's about a world of people "stuck between life and death."

First, Levi identifies the title of the poem, suggesting that a previous agent named Bradford Shaw decided to call these beings Hollow Men and that this has ed down through the operatives working at the Gorge. The Hollow Men poem is about emptiness and dread, specifically inspired by post-WWI Europe, so it ties in perfectly with the existential dread that Levi and Drasa experience, prompting them to take on the mission for Dark Lake in the first place. It also ties in perfectly with the Hollow Men being the remains of World War II soldiers.

What Happened To The Hollow Men In The Gorge - How They Became That Way

The Hollow Men Were A Cavalry Batallion Infected By Chemicals

One scene in The Gorge reveals the complete backstory of the location, dating back to a science experiment from the end of World War II. The experiment was conducted by the Allied forces, including the US, England, and the Soviet Union. The East and West formed an organization to work on advanced chemical weapons intended to rival the power of the Manhattan Project, but a devastating earthquake upset their progress.

The earthquake caused the chemicals to mix with human DNA, creating the Hollow Men from an army battalion stationed on the project. Levi's analysis of the poem, as he and Drasa walk through the purple mists of the Gorge, surrounded by skulls and other horrifying sights, suggests that the Hollow Men have essentially merged with plants, animals, and more in unpredictable ways. They're immortal and animalistic, preventing the original human beings from being at rest. The incident also contained other life forms in the area, creating the mutated creatures.

What Happened To The Other People After The Earthquake Contaminated The Gorge

Many Used Cyanide To Prevent The Toxin From Spreading

In a scene in The Gorge, Levi and Drasa enter an abandoned church below the surface, where they find numerous corpses covered in spider webs. Before they're attacked, Levi notices that the corpses have a scent of cyanide, a poison that suggests many of the humans killed themselves after the earthquake began causing the contamination. The virus takes roughly five days to fully take effect, so those who wanted to contain the contamination used cyanide to end their lives first.

As Drasa says, "This place is evil." To remain in it is to be consumed by contaminated fog and enter a mindless existence of purgatory, a literal version of what the poem describes.

The woman in the video speaks about how the organization in 1946 was doing everything it could to prevent the spread of the virus. So, the humans who wanted to stop the spread took cyanide to prevent a fate "worse than death," while others succumbed to the chemicals and became Hollow Men. As Drasa says, "This place is evil." To remain in it is to be consumed by contaminated fog and enter a mindless existence of purgatory, a literal version of what the poem describes.

Every Other Mutated Creature Shown On The Surface Of The Gorge

Spiders, Horses, Evil Tree Claws, & More

The mutated creatures of the Gorge are horrifying, and it extends beyond just the Hollow Men. Throughout the film, viewers catch a glimpse of terrible spiders with skulls on them that attack Levi and Drasa in the ruined church, as well as mutated horses ridden by Hollow Men, one of which is used to capture Drasa outside. The original battalion was horse-mounted cavalry, and now their horses are mutated with them, living as undead creatures.

When Levi first arrives in the Gorge, he lands by the base of a tree where claw-like things come out of the ground and try to eat him before Drasa saves the day by shooting it. Beyond those, there are centipede-like creatures shown attempting to escape from the Gorge and the mysterious species growing in the missile silo.

What Was Growing Inside The Missile Silo In The Gorge?

The Missile Silo Is Ground Zero For The Contamination

During their expedition through the Gorge, Levi and Drasa discover a missile silo that's filled with horrifying, yellow goo with faces inside them. As Levi explains when they enter the room, the earthquake damaged the missiles, which began to leak chemicals. They don't explain what exactly the yellow goo is, but given that this silo is essentially ground zero for the Gorge's contamination, it can be assumed that this is some sort of nesting area for the creatures. The yellow substance appears to be some form of cocoon, with the beings inside being pupals that will eventually come out.

It's unclear how exactly the science behind the mutated creatures of The Gorge works, as they're dealing with uncharted territory. The species in these gooey pods are alive and breathing, and they've already formed features that look similar to the Hollow Men. They could just be resting, but the cocoon-like qualities make it seem like these are new creatures growing, showing just how dangerous the contents of the Gorge are when left alone. The place has a life of its own, and it grows more terrifying by the day.