Relic

Cast: Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote & Robyn Nevin

Director: Natalie Erika James

Relic is writer/director James’ feature debut after cutting her teeth on horror shorts Creswick and Drum Wave. An incredibly assured piece of work, this inter-generational family drama tells a story of motherhood and regret within the framework of a classic haunted house film. Relic bares strong comparisons with Hereditary and The Babadook, and whilst neither as scary nor gut-wrenching as Aster and Kent’s work, James delivers an atmosphere of slow burn creeping dread and thought provoking commentary on an increasingly ageing population.

After receiving a phone call to say that her mother has gone missing, Kay (Mortimer) and her daughter Sam (Heathcote) travel to their family home to help search for her. Edna (Nevin – tremendous) returns a few days later, but is unable to say where she has been. Confused, afraid and clearly unwell, Kay suspects that Edna may have dementia, yet only suggests staying on for a couple of days. This aspect of the story draws the most dramatic heft as anyone who’s ever had a loved one afflicted by Alzheimer’s can attest. The affects are devastating and the questions are numerous: what do you do? Give up working to care for them yourself? Allow a young carer to put their life on hold instead? It’s a delicate and complicated matter that we as a society must face now that we are all living longer.

It’s clear that the relationships between both mothers and daughters isn’t close, with Kay almost immediately searching for a care home which Sam strongly disagrees with, offering instead to move in with her grandmother. The character work here is excellent and as the story unfolds, Kay in particular clearly reflects on her life and failings as a mother, her bond with Sam becoming stronger in the process.

This is of course a horror movie and James ratchet’s up the chills subtly with lingering camerawork, sounds behind the walls and blink and you’ll miss them moments, as something moves in the background. Edna carries a crumpled note in her pocket that simply says “DON’T FOLLOW IT” – gulp. The house itself evolves and changes. The overtly supernatural and body horror tinged climax delivers significant emotional impact as three generations of women cling together.

The verdict:

A tremendous debut that makes James a name to watch, Relic offers a refreshingly different take on the haunted house genre.

*Relic is released through IFC Midnight and will be available in US theatres VOD/Digital Rental from 10 July.