The Relic (1997)
- written July 1999
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There is a creature stalking the museum workers at Chicago's Natural History Museum, and it isn't Bill Clinton. A ship enters Lake Michigan and when it is towed into the harbor , Lt. Vincent D'Agosta finds almost no sign of the crew. What he and the Chicago P.D. do find is a few severed heads. A day later, a dead and decapitated museum security guard is found at the Museum of Natural History and D'Agosta must find out what is going on. Doing so, he ends up interrupting plans for a gala event in the next few days which could cost Dr. Margo Green her research grant and so she must be on the ball. What she finds out though is that one of her fellow researchers, John Whitney, is not only missing but his luggage arrived ahead of him and it has some creepy stuff inside. The closer D'Agosta gets to finding out who is the cause of the decapitations, the closer the killer is getting to him. When the party begins the killer emerges and just then does the Mayor realize he has an extra voter to deal with. The creature is a hybrid form of species that mutated when it came into contact with various parasites and viruses and it wants blood and now. The Museum doctors feel it is an example of a long-held South American myth of the Cathoga, a beast created by Satan to help tribes fight their enemies. But Satan's beast is in Chicago now and even promises by the Mayor won't save his butt, but Lt. D'Agosta just may have something up his sleeve and of course Dr. Green won't be locked out of this party.
Overall: Excellent horror film that blends together good graphics with suspense and a damn decent story. I think this was truly the a start of the new age in horror films. Released in January 1997, it was followed by other excellent suspense and/or horror graphics film such as "Event Horizon," "Mimic," "Scream," and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Clearly 1997, was a good year for good horror films. Also this trend, now picked up by films such as "Lake Placid" and "Deep Blue Sea" is that well-known movie stars are being accepted in horror roles and it isn't a complete ending to one's career. Rent the film and enjoy it, because it can get scary. Comparison: Dean Koontz's books meet Stephen King's |
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