More than other genres, horror fans have to deal with an inordinate amount of terrible films. The staggering amount of horror that is released, only to fall into the bottomless pit of Netflix is truly astonishing. So, it’s with some trepidation that one might approach their newest original release, “Eli.” Falling squarely into two the well-worn sub-categories of haunted hospitals and children with premonitions, director Ciarán Foy’s film is slightly scary, featuring a number of effective jump scares, but ultimately derivative rehash of other better films, until it gets to its truly go-for-broke ending, which either saves or completely destroys the film (more on that later).
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Featuring a relatively stacked cast for a film that didn’t even show up on Netflix’s new releases, “Eli” features a titular 11-year old boy (Charlie Shotwell) whose immune system is failing him. Forced to wear a plastic suit whenever he’s outside of his more stationary bubble, Eli’s parents (Max Martini and Kelly Reilly) hope they have found a solution in the radical methods of Dr. Horn (Lili Taylor). Sequestered in a ‘cleaned’ gothic mansion, Horn and her team work on Eli, using violent methods to remove the immune disorder that flares up every time Eli comes in contact with the outside world.
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Compounded with Horn’s medieval methods are the literal ghosts that begin to haunt Eli at night, and the young girl (“Stranger Things” soon-to-be-star Sadie Sink) who tells Eli of the doctor’s previous patients through the barricade of imposing reinforced windows. Is it just a disease that is causing Eli so much pain and what secrets does the house have?
For such an intriguing set-up, Foy, whose previous credits include “Sinister 2” and similarly themed “Citadel,” is a bit too content to continually fall back on jump scares, wrongly emphasizing the mysteries of the house instead of the mystery surrounding Eli’s disease. These two threads often seem to be at odds with each other, as Eli is forced to contend with the ghosts that haunt him, distracting from the entire purpose behind him going to the mansion. As with many stories of the same vein, there is too much repetition, as Eli undergoes treatment in the morning, only to be haunted at night.
For their parts, Martini (who really should be in more things), Reilly, and Taylor carry their somewhat one-note roles. Martini’s father is loving but aloof, Reilly’s mother is overprotective, and Taylor is cryptic. All are good in a film that treats them as perfunctory; necessary tropes that aren’t further elaborated on.
But what about that ending? Without giving much away, “Eli’s” final five minutes are the type of bonkers horror that the rest of the film should’ve been. Moving into the realm of films like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Omen,” “Eli” essentially upends most of what came before it, and will either make the film worth it or be one step too far, depending on your tastes. Personally, it was redeeming for a typically mediocre horror film.
Apparently, Paramount dumped this film on Netflix because they didn’t know how to market it, which after seeing the film makes sense. It’s strangely banal, but also somewhat crazy. So, is “Eli’ worth sticking with for its ending? Depending on your tastes, yes, if only because decent horror is hard to come by. While never being mistaken for great horror, Foy is a competent horror director, if still over-reliant on jump scares. Also, you could do a lot worse. [B-]