30 Best Hidden Gem Horror Movies Perfect For Halloween
15. The Relic
It’s always fun when Hollywood takes a goofy B-movie premise and couples it with a large budget and strong professional talent, and that’s exactly the case with mid-’90s monster movie, The Relic; a film riddled with plot holes, but that makes up for them with slick production.
Chicago’s Natural History Museum is plagued by a series of brutal murders as it prepares for a glamorous gala. Resident biologist Penelope Ann Miller and charismatic detective Tom Sizemore urge authorities to shut things down, but they don’t listen (do they ever?), and everyone ends up trapped inside with a hulking, human-eating mutant beast.
The central duo of Miller and Sizemore is great. Usually relegated to supporting roles in that era, both get a rare chance to shine front and centre. Miller brings intelligence and spunk to the Final Girl archetype, while Sizemore adds depth and likability to the stock cop character.
Behind the scenes, The Relic impresses as well. Unsung popcorn director Peter Hyams shoots the premise with trademark moody lighting and delivers fantastic set pieces with a monster that - some dodgy ’90s CGI aside - still impresses thanks to wonderful design work from effects legend Stan Winston.
The explanation behind it all remains bafflingly dumb, but regardless, The Relic's made and acted with such quality, and respects the audience’s time as straight-up entertainment, that you forgive its flaws and wish it had enjoyed a better box-office run back in the day.