Since the release of “Hereditary” in 2018, which surprised everyone with its big box office and critical acclaim, film fans are now looking for the next horror film to have the same effect. Last year, it was “Midsommar” that had the same anticipation, even though that was hardly the same type of feature. And this year, the film that could end up being 2020’s “Hereditary” might actually be “Relic.”
READ MORE: ‘Relic’ Is A Terrifying Look At Mental Decay & Intergenerational Trauma [Sundance Review]
As seen in the new teaser for “Relic,” the film is being marketed in a way that keeps the viewer guessing, playing up the creepiness of the movie without spoiling anything about the plot. It appears that the film is about things that go bump in the night at a creaky, spooky home. But that’s all that really is revealed. And that makes the teaser even more unsettling. The film stars Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, and Robyn Nevin. “Relic” is directed by Natalie Erika James, who co-wrote the script alongside Christian White.
“Relic” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In our review, we said, An impressive first feature, humanist in its compassionate consideration of mental fragility and the melancholy inherent in spiritual degeneration, yet never forgetting to deliver spooky frights, ‘Relic’ could quickly go down as one of the best horror movies of the year when 2020 is over.”
“Relic” is expected to play in select theaters and VOD on July 10.
Here’s the synopsis:
When elderly mother Edna (Robyn Nevin) inexplicably vanishes, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) rush to their family’s decaying country home, finding clues of her increasing dementia scattered around the house in her absence. After Edna returns just as mysteriously as she disappeared, Kay’s concern that her mother seems unwilling or unable to say where she’s been clashes with Sam’s unabashed enthusiasm to have her grandma back. As Edna’s behavior turns increasingly volatile, both begin to sense that an insidious presence in the house might be taking control of her. All three generations of women are brought together through trauma and a powerful sense of strength and loyalty to face the ultimate fear together.
