Sightlines · reception

How Relic was received

2020 · Natalie Erika James · Relic on Sightlines

The arc

It premiered in Sundance's Midnight section in 2020 to strong reviews, then landed on VOD and at drive-ins in the middle of the pandemic, so a lot of people missed it. Since then it has picked up a following as one of the best 'grief horror' films, often mentioned alongside The Babadook and Hereditary.

What’s debated

Fans argue over whether it's a slow, on-the-nose 'elevated horror' metaphor for dementia, or one of the most devastating endings the genre has produced.

Its footprint

It's a regular on 'horror about grief and aging' lists and is often cited as proof that a horror film can be about Alzheimer's.

Where it stands

An under-the-radar favorite, the film horror fans push on friends with the warning that the last ten minutes will wreck you.

Did you know? Natalie Erika James based the film on her experience with her Japanese grandmother's Alzheimer's, and Jake Gyllenhaal's Nine Stories and the Russo brothers' AGBO were among its producers.