Synopsis

When a series of grisly deaths strikes Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, police lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta joins anthropologist Margo Green in searching for the killer. Their investigation leads to a terrifying South American creature hidden within the museum, just as a high-profile gala brings hundreds of unsuspecting guests into its hunting ground.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts the 1995 novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, though the movie changes the museum setting from New York to Chicago.

• Paramount originally hoped to film at New York's American Museum of Natural History. The museum reportedly declined, despite a substantial offer, because administrators feared a monster movie might discourage children from visiting.

• Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History provided exterior locations. Interior museum scenes were filmed elsewhere, including constructed sets and locations in Los Angeles and San Jose.

• Stan Winston, known for his work on Jurassic Park, created the film's central monster and its practical effects.

• Principal photography took place from October 16, 1995, through February 21, 1996.

• The production had an estimated budget of $40 million and was released in the United States on January 10, 1997.