Relic (2020) is an Australian horror film directed by Natalie Erika James that is capable of inducing hallucinations, claiming to hold a number of disturbing images. The narrative involves three women of different generations: Edna, the Alzheimer-ridden elderly grandmother who disappears; her middle-aged daughter Kay; and young Sam, her granddaughter. As people settle in after Edna’s unexplained absence, it is obvious that she has been possessed by something evil. The place itself is also significant, with its rotting walls and creepy events indicating the housing order’s collapse between the women and mental shift Edna is undergoing. Essentially, Relic portrays one’s dear relative with dementia and the heartbreaking change in their identity that follows the manifestation of the condition.
Relic was haunting on many levels and most importantly, the way it conveys the pain of having to say goodbye to a family member who suffers from dementia. The film itself does not use any jump scares or classical horror techniques, but rather establishes an eerie mood that advances very gradually and settles into the host’s brain. The rotting house comes in as an excellent artistic sign of the deterioration of Edna both mentally and physically, which puts the film in a class higher than ordinary horror films.
A noteworthy point regarding Relic is the fact that it served as the first film directed by Natalie Erika James, and in this case she was influenced by her own grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Most critics praised the film, especially the performances and the tension generated throughout it. However, Relic was not a success at the fishtanks, making about $ 2 million at the global box office, but the people were satisfied, since they were looking for something new in the horror genre. Personally, for me, the story’s emotional aspect combined with the chilling disturbing interior was quite a beautiful one.