Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: David Koepp
Run Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

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The haunted house subgenre is perhaps one of horror’s most overcrowded. It’s rather impressive then that Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, Presence manages to offer something a little bit more unique. Not dissimilar to recent slasher In a Violent Nature (2024), which largely takes place from the killer’s POV, Soderbergh’s new film tells a haunted house story entirely from the perspective of an invisible entity that resides within it.

The film begins with the titular presence moving around a large, empty, suburban residence, although it isn’t long before it’s joined by a family of four, after they buy and move into the spacious house. Sold to them by Julia Fox’s amusingly insincere realtor Cece, Rebecca (Lucy Liu), Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their two children, Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) quickly get settled into their new home. However, Chloe starts to sense that they aren’t alone.

An important distinction worth making, and one that hasn’t been made clearly enough in the film’s marketing, is that Presence is not a horror film – at least not the kind that audiences will be expecting. By design, the film’s premise removes nearly all the potential for suspense, as the audience always knows exactly where the entity is and what it’s doing, so there’s very little opportunity to shock or surprise viewers. For those expecting a more traditional horror, the lack of any real scares may well prove disappointing, as Presence is more of a family drama with some supernatural elements, rather than an all-out haunted house horror.

Of course, opting to be more of a drama than a horror isn’t a flaw in itself, however with such an uninteresting narrative at the core of all the domestic drama, its curious fly-on-the-wall perspective – the film’s main selling point – feels entirely wasted. It’s David Koepp’s screenplay which is largely responsible for this, offering a disappointingly disjointed glimpse into a rather insipid example of family life. He does attempt to engage with themes of trauma as Chloe grieves the loss of a close friend, while elsewhere he sporadically sprinkles morsels of parental drama too. Yet, he fails to explore either deeply enough to make Presence particularly engaging or worth investing in.

What’s worse is his deliberate and repeated signposting of pivotal plot points. Their inclusion feels so forced and sees him shamelessly take audiences by the hand, patronisingly leading them to his painfully obvious conclusion. But before Presence gets impeded by its own drab melodrama, Soderbergh at least provides some slight intrigue by way of his creative camerawork.

Assuming the role of both cinematographer and director, he moves through the rooms of the house with a freedom that would feel out of place in a more standard genre picture. There’s also something undoubtedly compelling about understanding the motivations behind a random door slowly opening, or a drink mysteriously being knocked off a bedside table – something that his inventive approach allows for, while a more conventional flick wouldn’t.

Nonetheless, the different abilities of the entity seem inconsistent. Varying depending on when they are convenient or not to the plot. And at times it’s easy to forgot that there’s meant to be something behind this POV, as when Soderbergh’s camera is stationery the film starts to feel reminiscent of the likes of Paranormal Activity (2007) – just without the crucial element of fear that made that film such a success.

So while Soderbergh’s flair for innovative filmmaking is certainly on display, there’s just not enough substance in the script to support his inspired vision. The interesting ideas at the centre of Presence aren’t fleshed out enough, making its unique premise feel as thin and flimsy as a cheap halloween ghost sheet – and one certainly not robust enough to sustain a feature-length runtime. As when it comes to presence, Julia Fox has more in her brief cameo than the film does for its whole duration.

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Star Rating: ★ ★

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