Review: Presence – A Spirited Telling

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring Lucy Liu, Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan

7/10

An unknown presence lurks in a house, seemingly disturbed by the new family that moves in. As it stalks the halls, we learn more about the intruders in its domain, from the past tragedy of the daughter (Callina Liang) to the secret dealings of the mother (Lucy Liu). The question remains: what is the mysterious entity, and is it a force for ill?

Filmed as a first-person point of view, the titular presence acts as the audience’s guide to the action. As such, we are given a limited understanding of characters and events that slowly builds. That gradual drip feed of information creates an intriguing mystery, with the slightly unusual format making this seem somewhat voyeuristic. Not only does this add a degree of naturalism, de-emphasising the horror clichés, but it also ratchets up the psychological tension of this unnerving film.

Soderbergh (Traffic) delivers a tight and well-constructed piece. David Koepp’s script is solid, reaching a satisfactory conclusion in the short runtime. All of which pairs beautifully with Zack Ryan’s score, which hints at a supernatural romanticism to create the sense of a ghost story from an earlier era of cinema. While Presence is a smart, well-written horror that pays respect to those bygone days, its presentation lends it a modern, almost experimental aspect.

So why don’t I love it?

Don’t get me wrong; I like it. I certainly admire Presence’s commitment to prioritising psychological horror over cheap jump scares and gore, but something doesn’t connect with me at an emotional level. Part of this is due to the occasional line of dialogue being over-embellished, playing against the more realistic tone and drawing audiences out of the moment. Some of this is due to the twist being somewhat telegraphed.

Honestly, Presence may grow on me with subsequent viewings, but as it stands now, it’s a film I like rather than love, despite it giving me everything I could want from a horror film on paper.

DAVID O’CONNELL