WARNING! Spoilers for Relic ahead
In Natalie Erika James’s directorial debut, the 2020 supernatural horror drama Relic follows three generations of women dealing with an apparent curse that manifests as a mysterious black spot on their bodies. After Relic released on July 3, 2020, it garnered the attention of both horror fans and critics who have given it high praise for its unique storytelling. One aspect that makes the film so incredible is the black spot that remains a mystery even by the time the film comes to a close. It is a vital symbol of the larger story that encompasses this one particular event in the family’s history.
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Relic stars Emily Mortimer as Kay, the daughter of Edna (Robyn Nevin) and mother of Sam (Bella Heathcote). As the three generations of women struggle to cope with Edna’s worsening dementia, something supernatural begins to manifest in the home. While it is assumed that it is her mental state that is deteriorating, they ignore the obvious sign that the black spot that resembles a bruise is growing and beginning to cover the grandmother’s body. As the film reaches its climax, Edna sheds her skin to reveal a demonic body underneath, which is later revealed to be the same tragic fate to which Kay’s great-grandfather also fell victim.
There are a multitude of facets that can contribute to the meaning behind the black spot and how it can manifest on an individual. The primary point of reference is that it is hereditary. In fact, as the film comes to a close, Kay has a black spot on her back that may just mean that she is next but Sam does not have one. While it may be the cabin that transposes the mark, it’s far more likely that the ominous black spot is a family inheritance.
The Black Spot’s True Meaning Explained
The film does not overly emphasize the black spot from the beginning, but as Edna’s fate unfolds, it becomes clear that the intent behind the brief nods towards it meant much more to the plot than might be initially assumed. As Kay’s great-grandfather and Edna both have fallen to the fate of the black spot, it clearly means that the demonic possession is hereditary and begins to initially manifest through the spot. Except, there is one key feature that can easily go ignored. The black spot physically resembles mold, which covers the home the three women are inhabiting throughout the film’s entirety. Therefore, this could mean that the house infects the individuals within by using this mold that later transforms them into demonic entities.
This seems highly plausible except for the underlying symbolism of Edna’s apparent dementia, which could be symbolized through the spot, which transfers to Kay. The transference could mean Kay will also suffer from the same condition as her mother. There are three explanations for the black spot: the house possesses the individual with some strain of demonic mold, it represents the hereditary nature of dementia, or it is a hereditary curse of demonic possession. In recent years, the concept of family lineage in horror has been popularized with films such as Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018). It is apparent that James’s film attempts to do the same by having three differing threads to follow.
Regardless of the various meanings the black spot could have, the final scene solidifies that it represents a hereditary demonic possession which takes the form of dementia when the three women are laying in bed with one another and Sam reveals Kay is next. Once one of the family members succumbs to the fate of the possession, it moves on to the closest person in line. Relic is a deeply symbolic and unsettling film about the dynamics between three generations of women experiencing demonic possession, dementia, and the fear of their inescapable fate through the symbolic black spot.