“We want good stories to be true and sometimes, every now and then, they are.” It’s a line delivered by protagonist Dr. Echo Adams (Taylor Bini) during a lecture on “Quests for Mythical Treasure,” but it might as well serve as the mission statement for The Relic | Dragon, a low-budget, old-school adventure that mixes cosmic horror, Viking mythology, and the sort of globe-spanning treasure hunt that Hollywood loved in the 1980s. The film recently had its world premiere at FilmQuest, and instead of keeping audiences trapped in the aesthetic nostalgia cycle from 40 years ago, writer/director J.M. Logan takes an earnest approach to examining the legends of yesteryear.
Based on Logan’s short film of the same name, the story begins with the disappearance of thrill-seeking adventurer Aura (Sarah Jack), who vanishes while pursuing a mysterious artifact. Her sister Echo (Bini), an academic who has long since distanced herself from that world, finds herself drawn back into an increasingly bizarre investigation. What starts as a search for one missing woman soon opens onto an ancient mystery centered on a cursed Viking treasure tied to madness and destruction, a lost manuscript linked to Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado, and a relic whose power seems to thrive on humanity’s appetite for greed and chaos. Before long, the sisters are caught between competing versions of history, myth, and a threat with potentially fatal consequences.
Echo is joined by her partner Edward (Richard C. Jones) and Aura’s research partner Luis (Holis L. Edwards III) in the quest to find her, and inexplicable things start happening to them in the woods almost immediately. They’re plagued by strange nightmares, their electronics explode in their pockets, mysterious sentinels pop up around the woods, terrifying antlered entities start tracking them, and no matter how long they’re outside, the sun doesn’t move the way it should. Logan cut his teeth as a makeup effects artist, so the film emphasizes practical effects that elevate it well beyond its low budget.
Fantasy horror is a genre blend often not pursued on a low budget (but it rocks whenever it happens) because it’s significantly harder to pull off, and I wish The Relic | Dragon had doubled down on practicality and resisted using digital effects altogether; that said, there’s a reason the film won an award for its special effects at FilmQuest. There’s an entire realm of gold that is quite impressive, with characters that rival the Sovereign of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but I’m being sincere, especially given the lack of money hose to spray at the production to make the realm as seamless as possible.
But arguably, the strongest aspect of The Relic | Dragon is the performances, with Taylor Bini a true genre star in the making. She’s a natural at playing an academic skeptic, and successfully carries the film as demanded. Whenever she and Sarah Jack share the screen, the sister dynamic soars. While the men in this movie have an important part to play, this is Echo and Aura’s story, and it works best when the film leans into their relationship and the emotional turmoil Echo has been thrust into while trying to find her.
I say this as a compliment, but The Relic | Dragon plays out like one of the fantasy episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? albeit bloodier and definitely more mature in its theming. Logan has said the ultimate goal is to create a cosmic horror universe centered around different ancient relics for each installment, and The Relic | Dragon is an ambitious proof of concept for a low-budget franchise. I’d argue that mythology buffs will get more out of this than dyed-in-the-wool horror aficionados, but there’s certainly some treasure worth unearthing here.
