“Eli,” the latest of what seems to be an endless stream of Netflix Original horror films, is singlehandedly reliant on a twist to the extent that it completely undermines the good direction and decent acting. As the reality of what is transpiring in the Ciaran Foy-written film came to light, I couldn’t shake the feeling that A) a more effective version of this film exists in which this information is available much sooner, and B) the manner in which this film keeps that information concealed is utterly deceiving. The way “Eli” ends is very different from how most of “Eli” plays out, making it akin to a dull trick. This is not as hurtful as the utterly preposterous reveal at the close of “Fractured,” but the experience left me with a similar aftertaste. So too does the “you could have just told me” sentiment from one of the characters give the audience context that relatively close to the end.
Eli (Charlie Shotwell), aged 11, is presented with severe medical issues and he is mostly seen with an astronaut’s suit on due to his weak immune system. Eli’s parents (Kelly Reilly and Max Martini) are left with no option, so in their last attempt to cure their son they take him to a secluded creepy house, which has now been converted into a medical facility. Eli’s mother comes in contact with the enigmatic Dr. Horn (Lili Taylor) which assures Eli’s parents her expertise can bend their son’s fate. Eli is then exposed to painful unorthodox medical procedures. The film revolves around questions like how exactly Dr. Horn plans on curing Eli and whether he gets cured at all.
This old mansion isn’t just out of The Book of Scary Places to Location Scout. There are indeed a few things that go bump in the night in its long, dimly lit hallways, as Eli makes the mistake of thinking. Foy reaches back to the same jump scare wells a bit too frequently, repeating shadowy patients in mirrors and creepy etchings in fogged up windows, but there are some passages that remind one of The Conjuring or The Haunting of Hill House. Suffice to say Eli is now convinced there’s a force in the home that’s trying to tell him something, but he (and we) can never be sure if it’s trying to hurt him. He also makes friends with a girl who has been continually appearing outside the house called Haley, played by none other than Sadie Sink of Stranger Things fame. She warns him that the good doctor may not be so good after all.
From the very start, ‘Eli’ puts an emphasis on the likelihood that every single person in it has a secret. This is particularly captured through the unusual way Haley keeps appearing, Eli’s parents are so secretive about his treatment, and let’s not forget how sus Dr. Horn is, this poor boy is just tangled in a mess. Is some supernatural power trying to warn him about the doomsday that might occur or are the treatments actually triggering these visions Eli seems to see? The secrets which Eli had while making the film are far more evident within the last few scenes, but Foy is milking the disturbing footage far more than the creativity that goes into the screen writing and filming. Most of ‘Eli, is more thrilling than it is confusing but we still don’t have a clear understanding of what we are trying to witness. There does appear to be a key difference, there is annoyance that could stem from a film that tries to hide or simply be vague which causes the viewer to feel unsettled about the unknown and ‘Eli’ falls for the latter trick way too often.
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