‘Relic’ Blu-Ray Review: A Creepy Film that Competes With Modern Horrors
I had never seen Relic before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with this release. However, I was very pleasantly surprised!
Relic is a horror film that only comes along every so often. The film focuses on a couple of young adults that are dealing with their elderly grandmother. Their grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease and is not acting like herself.
Without giving too much away, the story mostly occurs in their grandmother’s home, and it’s a strange home, to say the least. There is a black mold on the wall, and the home itself seems to be alive. They discover other odd things about the house and start to realize that maybe their grandmother doesn’t have Alzheimer’s at all. She’s being manipulated by an unseen entity. I know that doesn’t give you much, but it’s hard to dig into the story without giving a lot away.
One thing that can be said for this film is that it is a slow burn. There are no shocking moments that make you jump, and there’s not much of any gore. Also, there’s no contrived plot twist or ending. It’s a slow-building horror drama that keeps you wanting to know what’s happening. And it builds the suspense to a pretty satisfying conclusion. This is quite unusual with horror films of late that use shock and gore to make you squirm while not really being story-driven.
Relic is further aided by a superb cast. Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns) leads the cast along with Bella Heathcote (The Man in the High Castle) as the two young women, and they give high-quality performances. They bring a level of believability to the roles and make it even more realistic and scarier.
As expected with a more modern movie, the video quality is superior. The color pallet is evenly balanced with no bleeding or over/undersaturation of color. Skin tones are natural and clear. The audio has subtitles available in English. The audio is always clear, and you can easily understand even the quietest whisper. There is no hissing or popping that I was able to find in the screening.
Overall, Relic is a creepy film that certainly should compete with other modern horrors. It’s definitely worth a watch. With an 89-minute running time, it does just enough to create tension and create an eerie feeling that will stick with you. I recommend it.
Relic is available from Scream Factory today!
I have been wanting to watch this one for a while now as I have read great reviews about it. Definitely on my to watch list. Thanks for the review.