Three generations of women are the focus of this family drama/horror film. The eldest being Edna (Robyn Nevin), her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer), and her granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote). A strange disappearance, followed by an equally strange reappearance, with a dash of potential haunted house-ness? A simple, yet very intriguing premise.
Emily Mortimer in a horror movie? Okay, that’s all I need. Sold. But for real, the short 1:31 teaser trailer for Relic has a lot of promise. From tense musical cues to dizzying, spinning camera work, we get just enough information to grab our attention without giving much away. The accompanying pull-quotes from reviews praise the ending and compare the film to heavy hitters in recent memory. Considering horror films can be made or broken by their endings, this is big praise. The fact that the film is directed by a first-time, female filmmaker and is centered around a group of women only places this higher up on my watchlist. With producers and executive producers including Jake Gyllenhaal and the Russo Brothers…IFC Midnight might have a real winner on their hands.
Relic will be released in theaters (pandemic pending) and VOD rental July 10th.