Emily Mortimer: Relic is a 'moving' horror movie

Emily Mortimer feels 'Relic' is a "moving" horror film.

The 48-year-old actress plays the role of Kay in Natalie Erika James' movie, which tells the story of a sinister presence taking control of her dementia-stricken mother Edna (Robyn Nevin), and Emily feels that it had more depth than a typical horror flick.

Speaking to SFX magazine, Emily said: "This is a story about a family coping with someone who has dementia. It's about the ramifications, as well as the real-life horror, of dealing with an elderly relative who starts losing their grip on reality.

"There's no horror film that's as scary as the horror of real life. Especially when it comes to people getting older. It's a really horrifying and scary process when you have to watch the people you love decline and disintegrate, both mentally and physically."

Emily also discussed shooting the film in Australia and how the cast entered a labyrinth during production.

The 'Shutter Island' star said: "We shot at a real house in a very normal, suburban Melbourne street, as well as another house in the countryside.

"Then there was also the third element, which was an extraordinary labyrinth. The labyrinth was built inside a studio and it was intense. There were corridors leading into more corridors or blind corners and it felt like we were inside there for weeks, but it was probably only three or four days."

Mortimer added that it was tough to perform when filming in the labyrinth.

She explained: "If you don't come up with real emotion for the camera, the whole things falls flat. It had to be real terror, which was tough.

"I feel like I lost my mind in that labyrinth! I was so happy when that part of the film was done."