If you ever wondered what a horror movie by Steven Soderbergh would look like, look no further than Presence. The haunted house and ghost story premiered at Sundance earlier this year and just played at TIFF, as well. Now fans of Soderbergh who have wanted to see him tackle this genre can get a glimpse of the frights he has in store.
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 select theaters on January 17th 2025, and everywhere on January 25th.
