‘Presence’ Review: A Unique Perspective Makes a Familiar Scenario Eerily Compelling
Presence is chilling if you can let yourself be immersed by the way it is presented.
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What is Presence About?
Presence takes a traditional ghost story and presents it from a unique perspective.
As the movie begins, the viewer watches as a family of four meets with a real estate agent inside an empty suburban house. The family moves in, and it quickly becomes apparent that we are experiencing the film from the first-person perspective of a presence that, for some mysterious reason, is attached to the house. Chloe, the family’s teenage daughter, can sometimes sense the presence. Her father, Chris, is supportive of Chloe and the difficulties she’s going through, but her brother, Tyler, is antagonistic towards her. Meanwhile, Chloe’s mother, Rebecca, is dismissive of Chloe’s feelings, instead focusing most of her love and attention on Tyler. As the family’s dysfunctional story unfolds, the mystery of the presence becomes clear.
Presence was directed by Steven Soderbergh (Unsane, Contagion), based on a script from writer David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, Secret Window). The film stars Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, and Lucy Liu as the family haunted by the presence.
Presence Review
I should probably start this review by saying what Presence isn’t. It is not a scary movie. It is chilling at times, but it’s never a truly frightening haunted house movie. Nor is it meant to be. By experiencing the story from the perspective of the presence, the fear normally associated with the unknown is eliminated. So, instead of focusing on a spooky ghost, we’re focused almost completely on the family and their struggles. Because of this, Presence feels more like a family drama that slowly unfolds into a dark thriller. This is a good thing, and this is where Presence succeeds.
I will admit, early in the movie, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. The long, flowing shots from the ghost’s perspective were immediately interesting, but after the first few scenes, the gimmick of it felt like it might wear thin. Was there a good reason for showing us the movie from this perspective, or was it just an experiment to see if it could be sustained for nearly an hour and a half? The first time the presence moves objects didn’t help alleviate my concerns either. The floating of Chloe’s schoolbooks by an invisible force looked cheesy, and I was preparing for the worst.
But then something happened. The family’s story began to draw me in. When we meet them, there are already large fractures within their various relationships with each other. A tale of parents in a failing marriage and their kids who don’t get along with each other isn’t particularly unique, but it is emotional. Plus, the audience’s perspective through the eyes of the presence gives their story a sense of immediacy that makes it so much more impactful than if the film were told in a more traditional narrative style. So, the format began to win me over. It clearly has a purpose.
Eventually, the presence isn’t just a passive viewer, and that’s when things start to get really interesting (goofy floating schoolbooks aside). The first time someone looks directly at the presence is chilling, because they’re looking at us. If you’ve invested yourself in the movie by this point, it can feel a bit like you’re being exposed. We also start to get a sense of the emotions felt by the presence through the way the camera moves. Many movies use camera movements to suggest emotions, but when you understand that the camera is a sentient presence, it has a different effect. Just through the way the camera moves, we understand what the presence feels and can begin to figure out who it might be.
After a while, the family drama incorporates a thriller plot thread which, again, doesn’t feel terribly unique, but the perspective is what keeps it compelling. The same goes for some of the expected haunted house tropes, like the arrival of a psychic who is basically there to provide exposition. It’s all a bit obvious, but it works well because it’s all there to provide clues and context for the emotional impact of the finale. There will be a point in the movie where it all snaps into place and makes perfect sense for the viewer, and it is a great feeling when that happens.
Also, one of the more interesting results of the unique perspective of Presence is that it gives us a different view of how characters in a haunted house movie try to make sense of their situation. Chloe has an idea about who the presence in the house is. So does the psychic. In a traditional ghost movie, we might buy into either of their explanations. But since we, the audience, are the presence, neither of their emotionally-influenced revelations feel quite right. It really is a wonderful thing when a movie can lead you to thinking differently about a type of story that has been told so many times before.
Presence Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
A smart script and effective directing make Presence a great choice for fans of supernatural thrillers and haunted house movies. The unique format of showing us the story from a first-person perspective won’t be for everyone, but if you can get into it, Presence is a very effective film.
Presence was released in theaters on January 24, 2025. It’s streaming release has not yet been announced.
Further Reading
- Freelance Review: A Suspenseful Psychological Thriller About Editing Snuff
- The Damned Review: A Cold Tale of Monstrous Guilt
- The Devil and the Daylong Brothers Review: A Fantastic Southern Gothic Musical
- Best Ghost Movies Ever Made
- Best Haunted House Movies Ever
- New/Upcoming Horror Movies
- Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2025
