'{{Short description|2019 American film by Ciarán Foy}} {{Infobox film | name = Eli | image = Eli film poster.jpeg | alt = | caption = Promotional release poster | director = [[Ciarán Foy]] | producer = {{Plainlist| * Trevor Macy * John Zaozirny }} | screenplay = {{Plainlist| * David Chirchirillo * [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]] * Richard Naing }} | story = David Chirchirillo | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Kelly Reilly]] * [[Sadie Sink]] * [[Lili Taylor]] * [[Max Martini]] * [[Charlie Shotwell]] }} | music = [[Bear McCreary]] | cinematography = Jeff Cutter | editing = Jason Hellmann | studio = {{Plainlist| * [[Paramount Pictures]] * [[Paramount Players]] * [[MTV Films]] * [[Intrepid Pictures]] * Bellevue Productions }} | distributor = [[Netflix]] | released = {{Film date|2019|10|18|United States}} | runtime = 98 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $11 million<ref name=Deadline /> | gross = }} '''''Eli''''' is a 2019 American [[horror film]] directed by [[Ciarán Foy]] from a screenplay by David Chirchirillo, [[Ian B. Goldberg|Ian Goldberg]], and Richard Naing, based on a story by Chirchirillo. It stars [[Kelly Reilly]], [[Sadie Sink]], [[Lili Taylor]], [[Max Martini]], and [[Charlie Shotwell]]. The film follows a boy with a rare autoimmune disease who is taken by his parents to a private medical facility to be cured. ''Eli'' was produced by [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Paramount Players]], [[MTV Films]], [[Intrepid Pictures]] and Bellevue Productions and was released on October 18, 2019, by [[Netflix]]. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its performances, plot twist and atmosphere, and criticism for its screenplay, pacing, tone and reliance on jump scares. == Plot == Young Eli Miller suffers from severe allergic reactions to the outdoors and is forced to live in protective gear. His parents, Rose and Paul, take him to Dr. Isabella Horn's secluded medical facility built in a renovated old house. Eli is initially overjoyed to remove his "bubble suit" and enjoy comforts previously denied to him. However, he begins to experience supernatural phenomena in the house. He also begins his excruciatingly painful treatments. The specters repeatedly leave the message ''lie'', and Eli wonders if they refer to Horn's treatments. Eli befriends Haley, the only person who believes the house is haunted. She tells him none of the other patients Horn treated left the facility. Eli discovers the word "LIE" is the inverted number '''317''', the passcode to Horn's office. In the office, Eli finds Horn's records of past patients, all of whom were killed by the third and final treatment. Eli unsuccessfully tries to persuade his parents to get him out of the facility, but Paul sedates him. Hurt and confused, Eli barricades himself in Horn's office. He discovers and enters a hidden passageway to an underground chamber with religious paraphernalia. Horn locks Eli inside the chamber, causing Eli to pass out from the allergic reaction. When Eli awakes, he finds he can breathe fine, and he actually has no disease. Rose, feeling guilty for deceiving Eli, goes to him. When she opens the gate, Eli knocks her unconscious with a crucifix and flees but is recaptured by Horn and his father. Rose regains consciousness and finds a dagger in the crucifix. She also discovers that the chamber contains the bodies of Horn's previous patients, bound and adorned with religious symbols. She forces her way into the treatment room but Paul restrains her. It is then revealed that Eli is a child of [[Antichrist|Satan]] himself, and his "allergic reactions" were him developing [[demon]]ic abilities. Horn prepares to stab the restrained Eli with the ceremonial dagger, but Eli [[Telekinesis|telekinetically]] stops the dagger and makes her stab herself. He then [[Levitation (paranormal)|levitates]] the assistants in the air, spin them upside-down (resembling the [[Cross of St. Peter]]), then [[Pyrokinesis|set them on fire]]. Eli demands answers from Rose, who reveals she was desperate for a child, and asked Satan for one. Paul tries to stab Eli, who telekinetically crushes his face. Eli and his mother leave the burning house. Haley, who turns out to be another child of Satan, greets them, saying Eli is stronger than his paternal half-brothers and half-sisters. She offers to take Eli to his biological father. Rose drives the two children away from the burning facility. == Cast == * [[Charlie Shotwell]] as Eli Miller, a boy who suffers from a rare genetic condition. * [[Kelly Reilly]] as Rose Miller, Eli's mother. * [[Max Martini]] as Paul Miller, Eli's Father. * [[Lili Taylor]] as Dr. Isabella Horn, a doctor who plans to cure Eli of his "rare condition." * [[Sadie Sink]] as Haley, a teenage girl who assists Eli. * Deneen Tyler as Nurse Barbara * Katia Gomez as Nurse Maricela * Austin Foxx as Perry Hobbes, a former patient of Dr. Horns. * [[Kailia Posey]] as Agnes Thorne, a former patient of Dr. Horns. This was Posey's only film role before her death in 2022. * Parker Lovein as Lucius Woodhouse, a former patient of Dr. Horns. * Lou Beatty Jr. as Motel owner * Jared Bankens as Gang leader * Nathaniel Woolsey as Punks #1 * Mitchell De Rubira as Punks #2 * Kaleb Naquin as Punks #3 == Production == === Development === David Chirchirillo's screenplay was mentioned in the [[Black List (survey)|2015 Black List]], compiling the best scripts of the year. In March 2017, it was announced that [[Ciarán Foy]] would direct the film, with Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing contributing to Chirchirillo's screenplay. Trevor Macy and John Zaozirny produced the film, while Melinda Nishioka served as a co-producer. [[Daniel Hammond]] and [[Gabriel Hammond]] executive produced the film under their [[Broad Green Pictures]], Intrepid Pictures and Bellevue Productions banners, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/03/ciaran-foy-horror-film-eli-director-broad-green-pictures-1202051061/ |title=Ciarán Foy To Direct Broad Green's Horror Offering 'Eli' |last=Busch |first=Anita |date=March 24, 2017 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013001612/https://deadline.com/2017/03/ciaran-foy-horror-film-eli-director-broad-green-pictures-1202051061/ |url-status=live }}</ref> === Casting === In October 2017, [[Charlie Shotwell]] was cast to star in the film.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/charlie-shotwell-eli-paramount-players-1202193998/ |title=Charlie Shotwell To Star in 'Eli' From Paramount Players |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=October 24, 2017 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013001612/https://deadline.com/2017/10/charlie-shotwell-eli-paramount-players-1202193998/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2017, [[Sadie Sink]] and [[Kelly Reilly]] also joined the cast.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stranger-things-actress-sadie-sink-joins-horror-film-eli-1063668 |title='Stranger Things' Actress Sadie Sink, Kelly Reilly Join Horror Film 'Eli' (Exclusive) |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=December 4, 2017 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032837/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stranger-things-actress-sadie-sink-joins-horror-film-eli-1063668 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2018, [[Lili Taylor]] and [[Max Martini]] were also added.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/01/lili-taylor-paramount-players-eli-film-1202241066/ |title=Lili Taylor Joins Paramount Players' 'Eli' |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=January 11, 2018 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730204436/https://deadline.com/2018/01/lili-taylor-paramount-players-eli-film-1202241066/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fifty-shades-actor-max-martini-joins-paramount-horror-eli-1078685 |title='Fifty Shades' Actor Max Martini Joins Paramount Horror 'Eli' (Exclusive) |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |date=January 26, 2018 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145353/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fifty-shades-actor-max-martini-joins-paramount-horror-eli-1078685 |url-status=live }}</ref> === Filming === [[Principal photography]] began in January 2018 in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3480409/paramounts-eli-goes-50-shades-horror/ |title=Paramount's 'Eli' Goes 50 Shades of Horror |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=January 26, 2018 |website=[[Bloody-Disgusting.com]] |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730234530/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3480409/paramounts-eli-goes-50-shades-horror/ |url-status=live }}</ref> == Release == In October 2017, [[Paramount Players]] acquired distribution rights to the project, and set it for a January 4, 2019, release.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/eli-release-date-announcement-paramount-pictures-1202189095/ |title=Paramount Players Snaps Up Horror Title 'Eli'; Schedules 2019 Release |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=October 16, 2017 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730204258/https://deadline.com/2017/10/eli-release-date-announcement-paramount-pictures-1202189095/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, [[Netflix]] bought distribution rights to the film from Paramount after Paramount reportedly could not figure out how to market the film.<ref name="Deadline">{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/netflix-buys-horror-pic-eli-from-paramount-1202519124/ |title=Netflix Buys Horror Pic 'Eli' From Paramount |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=December 12, 2018 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013001613/https://deadline.com/2018/12/netflix-buys-horror-pic-eli-from-paramount-1202519124/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Netflix released it on their service on October 18, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://decider.com/2019/09/13/netflix-and-chills-horror-slate-2019/ |title=Netflix Reveals 'Netflix and Chills' Horror Slate of 5 Original Films, Just in Time for Halloween |last=Menata |first=Anna |date=September 13, 2019 |website=[[Decider.com]] |access-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913220235/https://decider.com/2019/09/13/netflix-and-chills-horror-slate-2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref> == Reception == On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus states, "Intermittently effective if not wholly successful, ''Eli'' offers horror fans a handful of jump scares in search of a truly terrifying story."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eli_2019|title=Eli (2019)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-date=2020-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114043610/https://rottentomatoes.com/m/eli_2019|url-status=live}}</ref> == See also == * ''[[Bubble Boy (film)|Bubble Boy]]'', whose protagonist is also diagnosed with a similar disease. * [[David Vetter]] == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{IMDb title|5294518}} * {{Netflix title}} {{Ciarán Foy}} {{MTV Films}} [[Category:2019 films]] [[Category:2019 horror films]] [[Category:2010s supernatural horror films]] [[Category:American supernatural horror films]] [[Category:Intrepid Pictures films]] [[Category:Films shot in Louisiana]] [[Category:MTV Films films]] [[Category:English-language horror films]] [[Category:Netflix original films]] [[Category:Paramount Pictures films]] [[Category:Paramount Players films]] [[Category:Religious horror films]] [[Category:Films scored by Bear McCreary]] [[Category:Mad scientist films]] [[Category:2010s English-language films]] [[Category:2010s American films]]'