Imagine a ghost story told from the perspective of the ghost itself. That's the inventive premise of Presence, the eerie and affecting new film from genre-defying director Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies & videotape; Out of Sight; Ocean's Eleven).
Working from an original script by veteran screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park), Soderbergh spins a very unusual tale of phantasmal loneliness. It all starts when mother Rebecca (Lucy Liu), father Chris (Chris Sullivan), and their two teenage children Chloe and Tyler move into a seemingly unassuming suburban house. However, something is watching them, and the family's arrival is perceived as an encroachment that will yield creepy and poignant results.
The film once again sees Soderbergh playing around with cinematic form. He filmed his 2018 thriller Unsane on an adapted iPhone and now becomes even more experimental, filming the entirety of Presence from a first-person perspective.
The film acted as our latest Secret Screening offering. We've curated some of the responses from those who attended so check them out and see if you'll be incentivised to watch Presence this January.
I think the marketing is unfortunately going to do it a disservice, but I thought it was a really creative take on the ghost story and ended up loving it!
— Cage/Rage - A Nicolas Cage Podcast (@cage_podcast) January 20, 2025
loved it - such a simple premise but captured beautifully. made an interesting pairing with Here, which i saw yesterday, although Presence was the stronger film. long live ghost stories!https://t.co/xBDGGJNIWG
— onedottoomany (@onedottoomany) January 20, 2025
Thought it was very slow to get started and the camera work looked very amateurish (although it was most likely intended that way) It was most definitely not a horror. An interesting idea but could have been executed a lot better.
— Mike Munro (@lothianstag) January 20, 2025
I liked it! Realistic dialogue & I liked how we heard conversation snippets out of context. The family & their dynamics were well-established. I couldn’t guess where the mystery was going. Great ending, sad but satisfying. I was left w/ questions but I think that was intentional.
— Rory (@rory_john14) January 20, 2025
A film that had very little #Presence
— ProPhysicalmedia 🏴🐇🏳️🌈💀 (@ProPhysical_m) January 21, 2025
The pacing was ok if it led to something but it was a slow bus ride that ends in the middle of nowhere.
The camera work direction and score were fantastic it just needed to have a more definitive end to the story.
3 1/2 out if 5
A film I was wanting to see so was over the moon that this thriller was tonight's secret screening. Loved the slightly different angle from a usual haunted house film and the fact it's shown from the perspective of the presence was great.
— Faye Thompson (@fayet16) January 20, 2025
Actually really enjoyed it wasn't 100% sure at first but the story was fantastic very tense and definitely had me on the edge of my seat for many moments. It is not a horror film also for those who say it was . Scary elements but not a horror film at all . Left me with questions
— Jack Hodgson (@JackHodgson7) January 20, 2025
Enjoyed it. 👍 One to think about on the way home.
— John Williams (@johnwwilliams) January 20, 2025
A quiet, slow burn. I enjoyed the POV concept and the final reveal.
And we don’t need all the horror/not horror arguments! Who needs labels??Yeah sure, there’s no gore or jump scares, if that’s how you define ‘horror’. 🤷♂️
Presence is released in the UK on January 24th and you can book your tickets via the link below.
If you want more exciting preview content, don't miss Secret Screaming on January 27th. It's our latest mystery horror movie preview, so book your tickets below and we look forward to seeing you there.
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