Evil Bubble Boy
If you were expecting a Jake Gyllenhaal exclusive divulging some sordid affair during the filming of Bubble Boy, I’m sorry to disappoint. The Bubble Boy I’m referring to is Netflix’s Eli, an interesting take on an otherwise seemingly predictable telling of the rise of an anti-Christ. We follow Eli and his parents on a crusade to cure Eli’s extremely rare condition that hit after a recent birthday. This little dude is allergic to seemly E V E R Y T H I N G and finds refuge in a hypoallergenic mansion headed by a famed “miracle worker,” played by Lili Taylor. Overall, this was a pretty easy watch, meaning you can probably do some laundry, file your taxes, and be completely unfazed by the scares. Everyone has a movie, or for most horror fans- movies, they can throw on to have in the background while they go about their business checking in every once in a while; Eli was one of those films.
What worked
I’ve been a fan of Lili Taylor since Mystic Pizza; it’s not horror but a cult classic worth mentioning. Her acting has a very natural/girl-next-door quality, whether it’s her tone or the roles she chooses, but I know if I see her in a film, I’ll enjoy it- if for nothing else but the nostalgia.
Ghost kids! Putting kids in a horror film or any horror content instantly ups the scare factor for me. A kid says something weird, looks too long at an empty corner, and giggles; is there a demon over there? Are they possessed, or are they just being silly? It doesn’t matter; put the right framing around it, and it’s creepy.
Evil being treated as a disease poses an interesting question. If you accept the benefits of sin, can you cure it with faith? The answer, inevitably, is no.
What didn’t
If you're going to go the evil baby/ spawn of Satan route, I'm going to need a bit more context. In other words, show me the receipts. I'm not talking about some XXX/ Only Fans background, how did you have this "Come to Satan" moment? Praying and infertility treatments aside, did these Nuns now trying to "cure" the evil inside Eli turn to onto Satan to begin with?How old is this order of Nun-Nurse-Midwives? There appear to be a lot of “failed Elis” out there. Were there any successes? It just seemed like either this order existed to bring babies born from Satan to Jesus or they were there to right it and had no involvement in how it was initiated.
I would have liked more apparitions or interactions with the ghosts. There was just enough to pull you in but not enough to keep you entertained.
