Presence
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
A couple and their children move into a seemingly normal suburban home. When strange events occur, they begin to believe there is something else in the house with them. The presence is about to disrupt their lives in unimaginable ways.
Where to Watch Presence
- stuhannafordJanuary 3, 2026A slow burner, without the usual horror elements, and feels like a short story drawn out. It has good twists and turns, and the final unveiling doesn’t occur until the very end. It won’t be for everyone, very little happens for long periods, but it’s inventive and creative, with good performances throughout. I enjoyed it, but may well be a bit Marmite.
- jackmeatMay 17, 2025My quick rating - 5.9/10. Steven Soderbergh’s Presence is less a traditional haunted house movie and more of an artful experiment in perspective. Marketed—perhaps misleadingly—as a horror film, this 85-minute suburban ghost story leans more into quiet unease and emotional tension than jump scares or gory thrills. The real hook here is the concept: the entire movie is filmed from the ghost's point of view. And in that regard, Soderbergh delivers something fresh, even if the execution doesn’t always live up to the premise’s potential. Lucy Liu takes the human spotlight, playing the mother of a family that’s just moved into what they soon discover is a not-so-empty house. She’s great here, relatable and emotionally honest in a role that asks her to anchor scenes with very little conventional back-and-forth. But ultimately, the ghost is the real star, and Soderbergh’s camera puts us directly behind its silent, spectral eyes. It’s a neat trick. The floating, voyeuristic perspective makes you feel like you're eavesdropping on lives that were never meant to be watched. It’s immersive in a way most ghost stories only aspire to be. But where it falters is in the story itself. There’s just not enough meat on the bones to justify a full feature. Once the novelty of the gimmick wears off—and it does wear off—you’re left hoping for deeper character arcs, tighter tension, or at least a few shocking revelations. And while there are thematic undercurrents at play here, ones that do eventually bubble to the surface, they arrive too softly to hit with any real impact. The film has something to say, sure, but if you pick up on it in the first act, the rest of the journey starts to feel like slow-motion confirmation rather than discovery. Then there are moments of head-scratching logic that yank you right out of the atmosphere. One particularly dumbfounding choice comes when the parents, after witnessing a full-on supernatural meltdown in a bedroom, decide to leave the kids home alone. Come again? Not only have they verified that the house is haunted—no ambiguity, no "maybe it was the wind" excuses—they still treat it like a mild inconvenience. No panic. No immediate exit. Just a baffling lack of urgency that undercuts the credibility of the entire family dynamic. That said, this isn’t a bad movie. Far from it. It’s stylish, well-acted, and genuinely interesting to look at. It just feels more like a really impressive short film that was padded out into a feature without quite enough substance to fill the frame. It’s not scary, not shocking, and not particularly twisty, but it is a unique take on a genre that’s too often stuck in repetition. Bottom line: Presence is worth watching for the concept alone, especially if you're in the mood for something different. Just temper your expectations. This is a quiet experiment, not a scream-fest—and if you go in looking for blood-curdling horror, you're going to come out haunted by missed potential instead.
- cultfilmlikerMarch 10, 2025Love the beautiful POV camera work. Reminded me of Unsane obviously. Soderbergh’s work is very singular even though there’s nothing particularly unique about it. It’s a stream of consciousness narrative that I rarely enjoy. Would have loved to have seen this in the theater. Tight script (easy to do with the runtime lol) so I enjoyed every minute of it. The long takes were incredibly impressive. The actor who played Ryan’s emotions felt forced (during difficult monologues), but other than that, decent acting! Lotta labia art. Thanks, Freud!
- Monkey See! Monkey Review!!October 19, 2025TLDR > Imagine being a ghost. Not a vengeful spirit or a tortured soul—just a passive observer with no agenda, no scares, and no sense of pacing. That’s Presence. A film that promises a haunting and delivers a shrug. Not worth the time. Skip to the end. The concept? First-person ghost POV. Brilliant. Revolutionary. A chance to explore the afterlife through the eyes of the unseen. What we get instead is a slow drift through awkward teenage hormones, half-hearted paranormal flickers, and a twist ending so bland it could be served with unseasoned tofu. There are no thrills here. No horror. No jump scares. Just the cinematic equivalent of someone whispering “boo” from across the room and then apologizing for being too loud. The ghost doesn’t haunt—it loiters. The teens don’t act—they fumble through scenes like they’re trying to remember if they left the oven on. You could watch the first 30 minutes, skip to the last 20, and feel spiritually complete. The middle is a fog of missed opportunities and scenes that feel like they were written by a Ouija board stuck on “meh.” And yet, buried beneath the awkward silences and spectral indifference, there’s a whisper of something interesting. A woman brushing her hair in a mirror that doesn’t reflect. A door that opens not with menace, but mild confusion. A family held together by grief, denial, and the ghost’s complete lack of urgency. Presence is a film for those who enjoy the idea of horror more than horror itself. It’s a séance where nobody shows up. A haunting where the ghost is too polite to interrupt. Watch it if you must—but don’t be surprised if the scariest part is how much time you just lost.
- Dan The Man KearneyOctober 19, 20252/10 Started Buns Ended Buns Like Really i heard people were walking out on this movie because it was too (REAL) lol yeah sure... how much did you pay these "People" to walk out to boost the ratings on this trash because it didn't help and heard they filmed this is 2 weeks this was just talking and overdrawn boring scenes where the camera just stares at someone doing nothing for a minute straight just to cut to another scene of the same thing
- Kevin WardJuly 1, 2025Always love how Soderbergh is willing to experiment with how he uses the camera in his projects. Presence takes it a step further, essentially making the camera an actual character in the film. The entire film is shot from the POV of a the titular Presence—a ghost in the new home of a family of four. It’s a unique experience, but it works really well. It’s a fun twist on a modern ghost story. Don’t expect any spooks or chills, but the mystery that unfolds is effectively entertaining.
- EdwardApril 6, 2025Presence is a refreshing take on the horror genre, where I would say it only borders on horror. The usual character tropes aren't there and there are some positive family relationships you don't see too often in films. There are themes of grief throughout so know that's what you are getting into rather than typical jumpscares.
Presence Trivia
Presence was released on January 22, 2025.
Presence was directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Presence has a runtime of 84m.
Presence was produced by Ken Meyer, Julie M. Anderson.
A couple and their children move into a seemingly normal suburban home. When strange events occur, they begin to believe there is something else in the house with them. The presence is about to disrupt their lives in unimaginable ways.
The key characters in Presence are Chloe (Callina Liang), Rebekah (Lucy Liu), Chris (Chris Sullivan).
Presence is rated R.
Presence is a Horror, Thriller, Drama film.
Presence has an audience rating of 5.2 out of 10.
Presence had a budget of $2M.
Presence has made $11.1M at the box office.