Direction: Natalie Erika James
Country: Australia / USA
Relic, an adrenaline-charged horror film built on a proper crescendo, is the solid feature debut from Natalie Erika James, who sets up that sort of mood that, as a rule, keeps you on your toes. The story, written by the director and Christian White, centers in a mother and daughter who are deeply affected by a generational curse.
Kay (Emily Mortimer) leaves Melbourne and heads to the remote area where her missing mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin), lives alone. Accompanied by her own daughter, Sam (Bella Heathcote), she finds an empty house when she arrives. But suddenly her mother, who has dementia, comes back from nowhere. She seems fine, except for an unexplainable black round bruise placed right in the middle of her chest. From then on, the supernatural activity in the house grows from mild to persistent. Edna behaves weirdly and talks about a strange presence in the house, the one she sometimes talks in a low voice. Is it just dementia? Kay and Sam will find out while crossing hidden rooms and labyrinthine corridors.
The film is a composite of classic startles and creepy scenes drawn from the horror mechanics compendium. Although ingeniously crafted, the somewhat tacky ending didn’t work for me. Having said that, Mrs. James is a gifted young filmmaker to keep an eye on in the future.
