Eloise (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Jacob needs the death certificate to prove that his unknown aunt has died. His father left him $1.2 million in inheritance, but the money is contingent on confirming the aunt's death first. The records are stored at the Eloise Asylum, which leads Jacob and his friends to break into the annex building.

• death certificate
• inheritance
• jacob
• aunt
• eloise asylum

Dell dies after accidentally pouring LSD on his open cut while trying to steal medication. The drug triggers intense hallucinations, leading him to a locked room filled with dead bodies. When a water line breaks, the room floods and Dell drowns before he can escape.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Dell stole a pocket watch from Jacob's father's house, foreshadowing his tendency to take things that lead to his downfall.

• dell
• death
• lsd
• hallucinations
• drowning
• asylum

Scott vanishes while exploring the annex with Jacob and Dell. Later, Jacob and Pia see visions of Scott among the disturbing flashbacks of the asylum's past, being subjected to violent treatments. This implies Scott either showing patients died or was pulled into the past somehow.

Foreshadowing: The moment Scott uses the infrared camera and sees human shapes lurking in the shadows hints at the supernatural presence that ultimately claims him.

• scott
• disappearance
• visions
• asylum past
• infrared

Gertrude Martin is Jacob's biological mother. She was a patient at Eloise Asylum when she gave birth to Jacob on his birthday. In a desperate attempt to protect her baby from the asylum's clutches, she whispered to a nurse to ensure the infant would be taken care of and kept away from the institution.

Foreshadowing: Jacob finding the box with the drawing of an old Chevy at his father's house connects to the box where baby Jacob was placed, hinting at his origins.

• gertrude martin
• jacob mother
• birth
• asylum patient
• family secret

Jacob sets fire to the asylum after learning the horrifying truth about his family history, his mother was a patient there and he was born inside. Understanding that the asylum represents generations of trauma and abuse, he ignites the fire to destroy the building and presumably end the cycle, though the act ultimately leads to more tragedy.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with footage of the 1982 fire that destroyed Eloise Asylum, establishing fire as the means by which dark secrets are concealed.

• jacob
• fire
• destruction
• asylum
• family history
• trauma

Pia is the woman who delivered baby Jacob in the asylum. As a young nurse or staff member present during Gertrude's labor, Pia was instructed to take the newborn and place him in a box to protect him from the asylum. This explains why adult Pia is at the asylum in the present, she was returning to the site of her traumatic past.

Foreshadowing: Pia's unexplained presence and emotional reactions throughout the film hint at her deeper connection to the asylum's history.

• pia
• jacob
• baby
• delivery
• childhood
• asylum

The box contains mementos from Jacob's family history, including a drawing of an old Chevy. Most importantly, it is the same box that baby Jacob was placed in after his birth in the asylum. When adult Jacob discovers it at his father's house, it serves as a physical link connecting him to his origins and the secret his family has kept.

Foreshadowing: The box's appearance in the opening scenes with the drawing establishes it as a family heirloom that eventually reveals Jacob's true heritage.

• box
• chevy
• drawing
• jacob
• inheritance
• family memorabilia

The characters experience hallucinations primarily due to Dell's LSD exposure, which affects everyone through shared psychological trauma and the oppressive atmosphere of the asylum. The building's dark history of patient abuse creates a psychologically charged environment that amplifies their fears and unlocks traumatic memories from the past.

Foreshadowing: The disturbing flashbacks showing patients being subjected to violence by orderlies establish that the asylum's trauma lingers and manifests as visions.

• hallucinations
• lsd
• flashbacks
• patient abuse
• psychological horror
• asylum history

Jacob breaks into the annex because waiting for the records through proper channels would take months and require a court order. With $1.2 million hanging in the balance and Dell urgently needing $20,000, Jacob decides the risky break-in is worth the potential reward. His desperation to access his inheritance drives him to increasingly dangerous choices.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Jacob's decision to bribe the clerk instead of following proper procedures shows his willingness to take shortcuts that lead him deeper into trouble.

• annex
• break-in
• records
• inheritance
• desperation
• court order

Jacob's claustrophobia becomes a pivotal moment when he is strapped to a gurney in a small drawer, forcing him to confront his greatest fear. This psychological torture represents the asylum's method of breaking patients and mirrors the oppressive, suffocating nature of the institution itself. Pia ultimately rescues him, freeing him from this confinement.

Foreshadowing: The asylum's history of confining patients in small spaces establishes the setting as a place designed to trigger feelings of entrapment.

• claustrophobia
• gurney
• fear
• confinement
• torture
• jacob

Pia is the sole survivor because she was not in the asylum when it burned. While Jacob, Scott, and Dell were inside during the final fire, Pia escaped or was outside. She is left to mourn the loss of her brother Scott and her friends, staring at photographs that represent her painful memories of that night.

Foreshadowing: The non-linear narrative showing Pia being interrogated in the present about her brother's death establishes early on that she will be the one left to cope with the tragedy.

• pia
• survivor
• death
• mourning
• photographs
• loss