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Relic

Play trailer 2:20 Poster for Relic R Released Jul 10, 2020 1h 29m Horror Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 235 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A woman links her mother's increasingly volatile behavior to an evil presence at their family's decaying country home.
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Relic

Relic

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Critics Consensus

Relic ratchets up its slowly building tension in an expertly crafted atmosphere of dread, adding up to an outstanding feature debut for director/co-writer Natalie Erika James.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times "Relic" is the feel-dread movie of the year. Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times The debut feature from writer-director Natalie Erika James functions as both an allegory and a nightmarish descent into this year's creepiest movie home. Rated: 4/5 Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) The more grotesque its imagery, the more tender its twists. Rated: 5/5 Nov 18, 2020 Full Review Anya Stanley Vague Visages A haunting study of Grecian prophecies and inherited mental illness, Relic makes beasts of the mind. Jan 8, 2024 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Its interior lacks tension or anything shocking in its cadaverous plot about dementia, loneliness and the horror of old age. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/10 Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Manuel São Bento MSB Reviews An exceptionally well-written, genuinely sad yet realistic story about dementia and how old people are treated once they can't live by themselves anymore. Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, and Bella Heathcote all deliver exceptional performances. Rated: B+ Jul 24, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ian S Better than usual horror/mystery film. Good performances and very effective use of sound. Visually good and let the audience unravel the story for themselves, with minimal dialogue and little explanation offered. Atmospheric and interesting, more so than most genre movies these days. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/27/25 Full Review Audience Member Sadly lost its way, along with many of the viewers I expect. I thought it would end nicely with the realisation that mad Great Grandfather's house (you know, the one that featured in TWO dream sequences) was merging into the same dimension as the modern building. The horror might then be tackled by the smashing of the window in the front door which linked the two realities. But no, the relic that gave the film its name was overlooked for some bedding down of a rotten, skinless Granny that didn't seem to faze the other actors at all. The neighbours seemed wasted too, save for a bit of 'box ticking'. If the lad had hurled a rock, to save the women from the ordeal he'd experienced, and brought everyone back to reality, it would have been a far more satisfying conclusion and saved all that built-up tension from being wasted. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/25 Full Review Will M It would probably have been better if I could actually connect with the message, but I wasn't very engaged or entertained. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/31/25 Full Review Paul M A smart well crafted thriller that lingers with you. Great acting, clever cinematography, and a very surprising and effective final act that will leave you asking questions. Not spectacular by any stretch but it ticks all the boxes for an atmospheric slow burn. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Ben J Powerful in it's message, creepy in it's execution, great performances all round, great cinematography. As someone whose mother suffered from dementia, this hit home hard. People who don't get it, won't get it. It's not meant to be a monster/ghost flick with jump scares. It uses the genre to tell a far deeper story and it does it well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Audience Member Sayang oras. Para sa mga taong mahilig sa mga slow burn horror. Ok sana siya kung natalakay man lang kung paano, sino, saan nagsimula ang lahat ng kababalaghan. Overall, mukhang metaphor ng Dementia un kababalaghan na nangyayari kay Edna. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/31/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Relic

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Movie Info

Synopsis A woman links her mother's increasingly volatile behavior to an evil presence at their family's decaying country home.
Director
Natalie Erika James
Producer
Jake Gyllenhaal
Screenwriter
Natalie Erika James, Christian White
Distributor
IFC Midnight
Production Co
Nine Stories Productions, Film Victoria, Carver Films, Screen Australia, AGBO
Rating
R (Some Horror Violence|Language|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Horror, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 10, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 26, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.0M
Runtime
1h 29m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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