A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Presence' is an ambitious film with mixed reactions. Praised for its unique perspective, psychological tension, and exploration of family dynamics, it also faces criticism for pacing, plot holes, and misleading marketing. Characters and acting receive varied opinions, while the supernatural element is seen as intriguing yet underdeveloped. The twist ending garners mixed responses, making 'Presence' a flawed yet interesting blend of supernatural themes and family drama.
Featured reviews
An Idea That Feels Better Suited To A Short Film
I usually don't like saying this but Presence just ended up feeling like a prolonged gimmick of a movie. Because despite the fact that I do think the main idea is quite interesting I don't really think it ended up sustaining a whole feature. If it was a 20-30 minute short I think this premise could've worked wonders and felt like a very unique take on a ghost story. But as is, despite some really impressive camera work, it just ends up feeling like there's a lot of bloat which comes in the form of character drama only some of which I thought actually worked. The transitions between scenes are very abrupt and after a while I felt like I was watching the same 2 or 3 scenes over and over again. The dialogue and the acting can feel quite stilted and a lot of the drama going on between this family doesn't really amount to much with a last minute twist that felt like it belonged in a different movie. For only an 85 minute movie it drags which again goes back to my point that this idea feels better suited to a short. There's a few interesting ideas and more than a few points where I really felt like I was getting what Soderbergh was going for but this really just ended up feeling like a bit of a missed opportunity. I really like the idea and always compliment a film that has a premise I wish I'd have come up with myself. I just wish the actually execution was on the same level.
Had Potential
While I appreciate Soderburgh trying something new, there were way too many missed opportunities to make this movie feel anything other than gimmicky. Don't get me wrong, it was a good attempt at a ghost story but the tone of the movie got tripped up on adding too many distracting elements. It seemed more experimental than anything else; the characters felt forced (especially the parents), the foreshadowing was over the top, and the last ten minutes undid any possible horror that I originally hoped I would find. Definitely walked away feeling disappointed but only because the events leading up to it left too many open ended questions. (One of the biggest being why they would leave their children in an obviously haunted house (this is not a spoiler, it's literally the title of the movie) and then say "make good decisions." Dumb.)
Wait for it to be free on a streaming service
I saw this at a secret screening, which is where you don't know what the movie is going to be.
The movie takes a while to get into anything. You're watching the family settle to their new home which, with movies like paranormal, didn't seem boring. Unfortunately in the case of this movie, the script and subsequent acting from some individuals made it hard to get into/ watch at some points.
During the climax of the movie, the monologue from a certain character (it will make sense what I'm saying when you watch it, I just don't want to spoil anything) was a hard watch. It felt like a school drama performance. This is probably due to a poor script and acting.
The movie as a whole is fine, I wouldn't pay to see it in the cinema, I recomend waiting for it to come out on a streaming service.
The movie takes a while to get into anything. You're watching the family settle to their new home which, with movies like paranormal, didn't seem boring. Unfortunately in the case of this movie, the script and subsequent acting from some individuals made it hard to get into/ watch at some points.
During the climax of the movie, the monologue from a certain character (it will make sense what I'm saying when you watch it, I just don't want to spoil anything) was a hard watch. It felt like a school drama performance. This is probably due to a poor script and acting.
The movie as a whole is fine, I wouldn't pay to see it in the cinema, I recomend waiting for it to come out on a streaming service.
Great movie that attracted the wrong audience-type
The people who generally saw this film most likely did so based on the trailer, imagery, and title of the film, all which indicate it's going to be similar to things like 'Hereditary' or 'Babadook'.
This movie is nothing like those. I wouldn't even call it scary. It's not supposed to be. The low ratings are probably from moviegoers who expected it to be, which is fair, no blame on them.
For those looking to watch a very quality movie, with a novel concept, this one might be for you. It has a lot of heart, some powerful social/relationship dynamics, and pulls you in, making you cheer internally for things to happen or not happen.
This movie is nothing like those. I wouldn't even call it scary. It's not supposed to be. The low ratings are probably from moviegoers who expected it to be, which is fair, no blame on them.
For those looking to watch a very quality movie, with a novel concept, this one might be for you. It has a lot of heart, some powerful social/relationship dynamics, and pulls you in, making you cheer internally for things to happen or not happen.
A well done film, advertised all wrong
I want to preface this by saying I thought Presence was a good movie. The acting, camera work, storytelling - all hit the mark for me.
That being said, I wouldn't classify this as a horror film, and I didn't find it scary at all. Suspenseful? Sure, at times. However, the "twist" was relatively easy to catch on to pretty early in the film, and figuring that out sort of detracts from the experience.
I would categorize this film as more of a family drama, with an interesting and unique take on the classic ghost stories of the past. If you're looking for a film to truly scare you, this one isn't it. Almost all of the ghostly happenings are shown in the trailer as well, which was disappointing.
That being said, I wouldn't classify this as a horror film, and I didn't find it scary at all. Suspenseful? Sure, at times. However, the "twist" was relatively easy to catch on to pretty early in the film, and figuring that out sort of detracts from the experience.
I would categorize this film as more of a family drama, with an interesting and unique take on the classic ghost stories of the past. If you're looking for a film to truly scare you, this one isn't it. Almost all of the ghostly happenings are shown in the trailer as well, which was disappointing.
Stream & Scream: 13 Fresh Frights
Stream & Scream: 13 Fresh Frights
Our Sr. Video Producer Alex Logan is back with two handfuls of his top Halloween-season picks available on streaming. If you’re a freak like him, his recs from the past five or so years should keep you up all night.
Soundtrack
Preview the soundtrack here and continue listening on Amazon Music.
Did you know
- TriviaIn a 2024 interview with Filmmaker magazine, Steven Soderbergh spoke about the real-life incident that inspired the film: "It was prompted by the fact that we had a presence of some sort in the house that Jules Asner and I own. We were told, when we bought the house and subsequent to our moving in, that the woman who owned it some time ago had died in the house. We were told by a neighbor that the woman who died in the house was killed by her daughter. The circumstances surrounding it were very murky, but everybody on the block was convinced that this was not a suicide, as the police described it, but that her daughter, who she was well known to have a contentious relationship with, had killed her. As the son of a parapsychologist, I found that fascinating. I was hopeful that there might be some sort of experience to be had, but Jules and I really didn't have anything more than, you know, 'Did I leave that light on, or...' But we had a house sitter, and one night she was watching television in the main parlor area, and through her peripheral vision, she sensed somebody in the hallway in the other end of the house. When she looked, she saw a woman crossing from the bathroom to the bedroom. She instinctively said, 'Jules,' then realized Jules wasn't there-nobody was there. So, she immediately called Jules and said, 'This just happened to me.' The name of the woman [who died] was Mimi. I began to wonder what it would be like to be Mimi, and be in this house, and feel like, 'What are these people doing in my house-and is there anything that can be done?' So, that was my jumping-off point."
- GoofsThe family is portrayed as highly educated and status conscious, sufficiently well off to engage in school district shopping and holding professional jobs. Yet the f-bomb is freely tossed about the dinner table and in family interactions, crack house style, by mother and teens alike, with only the mildest of objections from the father.
- Crazy creditsOther than the Presence, the characters and events depicted in this motion picture are fictitious.
- SoundtracksCome Here
Written by Dominic Fike, Sam Homaee and Jonathan Wienner
Performed by Dominic Fike
Courtesy of Sandy Bros, LLC
Under exclusive license to Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Presencia
- Filming locations
- 405 Springfield Avenue, Cranford, New Jersey, USA(Payne house)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,900,044
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,328,004
- Jan 26, 2025
- Gross worldwide
- $11,069,405
- Runtime
- 1h 24m(84 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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