Relic is a different type of horror movie that we don’t see every day.

The film seemingly has a portrayal of a horrific creature in a dilapidated house. In the end, the real horrors of this movie are about hanging on to a dying love one as their memories fade away.

The film stars Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, and Bella Heathcote. Natalie Erika James wrote and directed the project.

Here’s the official synopsis:

When elderly mother Edna (Nevin) inexplicitly vanishes, her daughter Kay (Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (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.

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In a roundtable interview with LRM Online and the cast of Relic, the actors addressed their relatability to the subject in the horror movie.

“I lost my mom at a young age. And I’ve lost other people that are close to me. I certainly remembered being young enough when she was quite sick near the end, probably pretty high on morphine, of not knowing who I was. Those moments and findings are one of the most alarming things at the time,” Bella Heathcote shared with reporters. “It’s seeing someone you love not recognize you or able to understand what they’re saying. In the end, this feels like the stakes are so high, and you desperately want to connect. That’s what moved me so much about the film. That’s what grabbed me so much about that script to that last scene in the film. At that moment, it was a service to her mother, who was dying. She was able to confront her fears about the situation and go back in there to help her in those moments. It’s a credibly, unique depiction of death.”

Emily Mortimer quickly related to Heathcote’s personal experiences.

“I had a similar experience when my dad died. That person looks at you with love and adoration, then suddenly looking at you not knowing who the hell you are. That’s scarier than anything you’ve ever seen in any horror film until now. That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced actually,” she explained. The fact that Natalie managed to bottle that feeling, depict in a thrilling, entertaining, and wild horror movie is a considerable achievement. It’s going to chime with anyone that’s ever been through a similar situation when they watch it.”

As the writing and directorial feature film debut for Natalie Erika James, she told us that the origins of Relic came from her experiences.

She stated, “The inspiration for the film came from a personal place. A hundred percent that embedded into the work. There’s something very particular about the heartbreak of grieving for someone who’s still alive, as you’re losing parts of them. That’s very affecting. I was trying to capture the brilliance of who they were at the height of being healthy and how much that declines. It’s a hard thing to witness.”

Relic is playing On Demand and as a digital rental tomorrow.

Source: LRM Online, IFC Films