NEON has really come fully-armed with teasers and trailers for Steven Soderbergh’s haunted house film, Presence. There have been a ton of them already, and now there’s a final one before it opens later this month after debuting at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. They have reason to be excited as Soderbergh has never tackled this genre before, and the director’s many fans are eager to see what he can bring that’s new because they know he wouldn’t bother, otherwise.
Penned by David Koepp (writer of Soderbergh’s film Kimi), the story centers on a family who learn they are not alone upon moving into a new home. As I wrote in my review, Soderbergh’s “lens is an actual presence, a supernatural force lurking in some places, observing carefully in others.” That makes this a movie seen from the entity’s perspective, which opens up some fascinating areas of exploration. Soderbergh’s approach to doing so is deliberately paced to not match the rhythms of studio horror movies, so expect more of a slow burn.
Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan lead the cast, joined by Callina Liang, Eddy Maday and West Mulholland.
Soderbergh doesn’t want to give anything away, which is why the synopsis is so bare: A family moves into a suburban home and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
NEON will release Presence in theaters on January 24th 2025.
