Features and Columns · Movies

Get Your First Look at the Terrifying and Heartbreaking ‘Relic’

Say hello to the most hauntingly effective and affecting horror film of the past few years.
Relic Emily Mortimer
By  · Published on May 21st, 2020

Horror movies affect viewers in different ways, but the best ones terrify, unsettle, and/or entertain in various ways. An even smaller percentage of them go the extra mile to infuse the film’s story and characters with real humanity and emotion, both of which work to enhance the horror, and one such example is heading to theaters this July.

Relic premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where I (and many others) absolutely fell in love with its scares and its beautifully heartbreaking humanity. My full review is here, but the gist of it comes down to this — this is a haunted house film unlike any other. Yes it’s creepy as hell, but while some of the expected beats are on display they come packing a wallop of a punch in a tightly paced film that doesn’t waste a frame. The first teaser has just dropped, and it does a fantastic job of grabbing viewer attention without spoiling any of the film’s surprises or most powerful moments.

Check out the teaser below.

Every single one of those critic quotes is 100% accurate.

I’ll add to my blurb by saying that the film’s ending left me in tears, and it’s something that I don’t recall any other horror film managing. The fact that Relic delivers with visceral scares and intensity before sending viewers back into the light with wet eyes and a feeling of incredible warmth is no small feat, and I’m excited not only for the rest of you to see the film, but I’m also excited to watch it again myself.

This has been an admittedly odd year across the board, including at the movies, but Relic is currently not just the best horror film of the 2020 but also the best film, period. From the direction to the performances to the script, cinematography, score, and beyond, this is one hell of a movie.

Relic releases July 10th, 2020.

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Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.