Presence (2025)
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.
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What makes Presence so formally interesting is that Soderbergh shows this family from the perspective of the eponymous presence. He shows us this family in small, unedited scenes, and his camera is almost always at a distance from everyone—in an approach that reminds of Paranormal Activity by way of Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, in a way.
Let’s be clear. Since Sam Raimi decided to craft a first-person scene to materialize the invisible force in the woods of Evil Dead, this technique has become a staple in horror cinema. Plus, the entire found footage subgenre relies on the concept we are seeing exactly what the person behind the camera saw.
Soderbergh is no stranger to nerve-wracking thrillers, having directed movies such as Unsane and Side Effects. Also, Presence is penned by David Koepp, the writer of David Fincher’s claustrophobic Panic Room. Both men know how to play with the public’s feelings and generate anxiety, and Presence gets there eventually.