[yasr_overall_rating]
Four friends break into an abandoned insane asylum in search of a death certificate which will grant one of them a large inheritance. However, finding it soon becomes the least of their worries in a place haunted by dark memories.
I was apprehensive to write on a horror/psychological movie. Not because I’m easily frightened, but because the headache-inducing shaky-cam nightmares that pass for horror films these days has taken its toll on me. However, with “Eloise,” I decided to give it a shot because it was based on a real life insane asylum. It’s a horror movie released in February; maybe I’d be pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t.
The plot of “Eloise” centers around an infamous insane asylum that was known for – take a guess – its many gruesome deaths and eventual demise by fire. Cut to the present day and we are introduced to Jacob, a young mechanic with a troubled past and more than enough money woes to warrant the type of desperation that only scary movie characters seem to possess. After Jacob’s father dies, he finds himself set to receive a massive inheritance but the only thing standing in his way, is bureaucratic red tape and Eloise itself. Soon Jacob, his gangster of an old friend, a nerdy man-child and his sister, find themselves exploring the burned ruins of the asylum to make their payday. The plot goes downhill from there, with the characters quickly being thrown into a downward spiral of pain and torture.
There were a few moments that were gruesome enough to help “Eloise” hit its mark, but these moments are far and in between the lazy reactions of the actors and the lackluster jump-scares. One scene in particular, had a character being stabbed in the same spot repeatedly, blood and flesh dripping from the wound. The sound alone, like squishing ground beef up against your ear, had me looking away for a second or two. A hardcore or seasoned horror fan may find “Eloise” tame compared to others in its genre, of course, what is scary for one person may not be for another. “Eloise” does not stick out, nor does it really attempt to do anything different from the next scary movie.
I did enjoy the dynamic between Jackson and Byrne’s characters; the gangster and man-child back and forth managed to bring some humor to an otherwise average experience. The movie brings a certain eerie style to it that I would almost liken to an episode of “American Horror Story” but the parallels would end there as the movie left me unsatisfied and asking more questions than it answered. By the end, I wasn’t sure if time travel was involved or some type of possession was the case. To put it bluntly, “Eloise” is worth a jumpscare thrill or two (possibly three, if you’re the jumpy type) and there are even a few moments that made me chuckle. But overall, it has little to offer in terms of staying power; “Eloise” gives just about what one would expect from a horror movie released in February.
In theaters & Video On Demand Friday, February 3rd
