Eli

You know the feeling when you’re riding a theme park ride, and everything was going smoothly, few bumps here and there, and then you see the end of the tunnel, but then you get a big drop out of nowhere. Giving you no time to react before it even happened. That’s what it felt like watching this. Directed by Ciarán Foy (The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Sinister 2), comes this horror film about a child needing medical attention, or at least what he thought he needed to survive.

If it weren’t for the creepy poster that they had, I would’ve had no idea whatsoever that this was a horror film. I honestly thought it was a medical-related fight for your life kind of a film. Eli delves on the subject of religion while being hidden under scientific means.

Characters

Charlie Shotwell, as Eli, had that frail, health sensitive vibe, and he doesn’t even have to try hard to achieve it. He was great as the sickly kid, but towards the end of the film, when everything went to shit, his face was always scrunched up sort of like taking a dump. But for a boy with age around 11 years old child actor at that time, his performance was phenomenal. This was his first starring role.

Acting-wise, I have to give it up to Sadie Sink, though she had a minimal role in the film, she was fluid and authentic. Her character added that silver lining that Eli needed to get through those tests.

Great concept, poor execution

The concept was great but poorly executed. The ghosts seemed irrelevant, their scares or appearances had no meaning behind it, its just there as an added shock value to an underwhelming horror film. If the ghosts were indeed there to help him, them scaring him wasn’t necessary.

Dr. Horn’s three previous patients are named after characters from horror films, sort of like paying an homage to the genre:

• Perry Hobbes, inspired by Detective Hobbes from “Fallen (1998)”.
• Agnes Thorne, named after Damien Thorn from “The Omen (1976)”.
• Lucius Woodhouse, referencing Rosemary Woodhouse from “Rosemary’s Baby (1968)”.

The idea of a secret convent posing as a specialized medical institute was ingenious. Now I haven’t seen the trailer of this before going in, and I have no clue whatsoever that this involved religion as its subject matter. When I saw those doors with those line art crossing each other, the cross was the first thing that came to mind. Aside from that, they did a very good job in concealing the truth of the said institution.

Towards the end of the movie, Eli has already awoken his satanic powers, even his voice changed. There was an iconic scene wherein the three sisters (pretending doctor/assistants) were fleeing from the room, but Eli stopped them telepathically. Instantly they turned around, started floating and slowly turned upside down whilst floating around in a circle. Their hands stretched sideways forming the sign of an inverted cross. Then they burst into flames, all the while still floating about in a circle.

Flat ending

After the reveal of who Eli really was, he seemed cool and really had no reaction to what just happened and what he learned. He went outside, saw his ginger headed friend, and got into a car to meet his “dad”. The ending was so bland and flat that the reveal was the only thing they got going.

Conclusion

It had an excellent concept but failed in the execution. I think their plan for a late shocking reveal backfired on them. It was too late in the film, no one in the audience was able to really digest what happened, so the entirety of the film was a slow burn build up for their twist. I’d pay good money to see Constantine blow this kid’s head off.