I went into Presence expecting something akin to Paranormal Activity—a supernatural horror flick filled with jump scares and creepy hauntings—but what I got was a surprisingly intimate family drama with supernatural elements. The film takes a slow-burn approach, focusing more on the emotional struggles of the Thompson family than on outright scares, and to my surprise, I found myself completely invested in their story. The tension within the family, particularly the dynamics between Rebecca, Chris, and their troubled daughter Chloe, was far more engaging than I expected. I quickly bought into their emotional journey, with the grief, disconnect, and hidden pains adding layers of depth to the ghostly happenings. The film’s ability to make me care about the characters rather than simply waiting for the next supernatural event made it a more compelling experience than I anticipated. While it wasn’t the haunting horror movie I thought I was getting, Presence turned out to be something much more emotionally resonant and captivating.
Presence offers a unique twist on the familiar haunted house genre, using a first-person perspective to tell a supernatural story not from the viewpoint of the living family but from the ghost haunting their home. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp, the film is less a typical horror movie and more a supernatural drama with eerie undertones. The movie follows the Thompson family—Rebecca (Lucy Liu), Chris (Chris Sullivan), and their children Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday)—as they move into a new home, only to discover unsettling occurrences that seem linked to an unseen presence. However, instead of seeing the family react to these events, we are placed in the shoes (or rather, the ethereal viewpoint) of the entity, observing and interacting with the family from a voyeuristic distance.
The film’s most intriguing element is its unconventional use of the ghost’s perspective, which shifts the usual horror framework. Rather than relying on jump scares or cheap thrills, Presence crafts its tension through mystery and the eerie atmosphere of watching from the ghost’s eyes. While this innovative choice creates an unsettling voyeuristic experience, it also distances the audience from the emotional stakes, particularly when the familial drama unfolds. The relationships within the Thompson family—especially between the grief-stricken Chloe and her emotionally distant mother—are engaging but lack the depth to fully resonate. Koepp’s script touches on themes of loss, grief, and familial disconnect but never quite dives deep enough to elevate the emotional drama beyond surface-level exploration.
The performances are solid across the board, with Callina Liang standing out, a complex and tortured character dealing with the recent loss of a friend. However, the supporting cast, especially the psychic and the brother’s friend, feel over the top and distracts from the more subtle, authentic dynamics of the central family. Their exaggerated portrayals add an awkward tone that clashes with the more restrained performances from the main cast, making those characters feel less convincing in comparison. While Presence offers a fresh perspective and an intriguing narrative, it struggles to balance its supernatural elements with its emotional beats. The horror, while present in the final act, feels more like a subtle afterthought rather than the central focus. Still, the mystery of the ghost’s identity and its intentions provides a compelling hook, and the slow-burn tension is elevated by Soderbergh’s expert direction, particularly in his use of long, unbroken shots that allow the actors to fully embody their roles.
The ending of Presence is nothing short of perfect, delivering a revelation that recontextualizes everything that came before it. As the final moments unfolded, I was gripped by full-body chills, and suddenly, all the emotional tension and subtle clues throughout the film clicked into place. It’s rare to find a film that sticks its landing so flawlessly, but this one did, leaving me with a lingering sense of both satisfaction and unease. Despite any reservations I had leading up to it, that ending made me appreciate the film in a way I hadn’t expected, and I can’t help but like it because of how beautifully it all came together.
It may not deliver the scares that some horror fans expect, but it offers an atmospheric and emotionally charged experience. The final reveal is effective in tying the loose threads together, though the film might have benefited from pushing the familial dynamics further to truly make the horror hit home. Overall, Presence is a thoughtful and intriguing film that stands out more for its fresh approach to storytelling than for its conventional thrills.
4/5 Stars
