This must be the first horror movie reviewed in the HAAG newsletter, and I wonder how many of our readers even watch horror movies? I’ve never been a big horror fan, but started to watch a lot of scary movies last year; as the pandemic unfolded and lockdown seemed to stretch on indefinitely, mere supernatural terror felt like a welcome relief from the real fear all around me. Most of those movies, unsurprisingly, were not about older people’s housing.
Relic is an Australian movie with a brilliant premise. Kay (Emily Mortimer) and Sam (Bella Heathcote), a mother and her young adult daughter, arrive at the creepy old house belonging to Kay’s mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin). Edna is missing, but before she disappeared she told Kay about strange phenomena in the house – objects missing or mysteriously moved, doors that she’d closed suddenly open, etc. Of course, these are both classic signs of a haunted house and possible symptoms of memory loss and the onset of dementia.
Soon Edna reappears, but can’t or won’t explain where she’s been. Is there really something haunting the family, or is the horror just (“just”!) that Edna can’t live independently anymore?
Horror movies are at their best when they play on real fears. The Exorcist isn’t scary because we fear demonic possession, but because of its harrowing portrayal of a sick child and a mother unable to help her; The Shining is terrifying not because it’s about a haunted hotel but because a violent man preying on his wife and child is absolutely real. The Relic hits a similar sweet spot, poking at commonly held fears around ageing along with its moody photography and creepy set design.
The plot unfolds slowly and patiently, even as the house feels increasingly claustrophobic. As Kay and Sam argue about what’s best for Edna, the movie pushes us to consider the complexities and stresses – really, the horror – of their well-meaning decisions. As viewers, we understand why Kay thinks residential aged care may be necessary, but we’re also haunted by the possibility she’s wrong – not just in the ways we always worry such decisions could be wrong, but because Edna may well be the fully competent victim of ghosts and the supernatural.
All of this makes for a tense and scary viewing experience that keeps us guessing about what is really going on right to the end. If this description hasn’t completely put you off, I really recommend checking out Relic.