Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- oppressive
- late night horror
- arthouse horror night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's expertly crafted atmosphere of dread, emotional insight, and Natalie Erika James's assured feature debut.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Edna's worsening memory, disappearance, and volatile behavior create the film's central source of fear.
The decaying family home expands into disorienting corridors and enclosed spaces as the threat intensifies.
The film mines tension from ordinary conversations, absence, deteriorating behavior, and the house's oppressive atmosphere.
Kay and Sam respond differently to Edna's condition, turning intergenerational care into the emotional center of the horror.
Films like Relic, and why
The Babadook
shared psychological horror, domestic dread, and emotionally grounded treatment of family trauma
Hereditary
shared haunted-house atmosphere, grief-centered family conflict, and slow-building supernatural unease
The Taking of Deborah Logan
shared intimate horror, maternal anxiety, and ambiguity between psychological deterioration and supernatural threat
Movie Details
- Director
- Natalie Erika James
- Release Date
- 2020-07-03
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (858)
Cast
- Emily Mortimer
- Bella Heathcote
- Robyn Nevin
- Chris Bunton
- Steve Rodgers
- Catherine Glavicic
- Jeremy Stanford
- Christina O'Neill
- John Browning
- Robin Northover
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Relic about?
- A mother, daughter, and granddaughter confront a decaying family home where dementia and supernatural possession become terrifyingly inseparable.
- What is Relic like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Relic as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Relic violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Relic as mild.
- What did critics think of Relic?
- Critics broadly praised the film's expertly crafted atmosphere of dread, emotional insight, and Natalie Erika James's assured feature debut.
- Which films are like Relic?
- Films with a similar feel include The Babadook, Hereditary, and The Taking of Deborah Logan.
- How long is Relic?
- Relic runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Relic?
- In United States, Relic streams on fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel.
