The Payne family

Presence review: A haunting new horror film ★★★☆☆

3 mins read

Presence doesn’t reinvent the “haunted house” sub-genre of horror films, but through unique direction and relatable familial issues, the film stands out as something special.

 Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Presence is held up by its ominous key idea, that idea being: What if a horror film is played out entirely through the eyes of the being causing the horror?

The film takes place through the eyes of a Spirit. The being doesn’t know why it is in the house it is in and must observe a family that has recently moved in to eventually understand who it is, and what it must do to move on.

Unlike most modern horror, Presence focuses far less on the terror that comes from a house being haunted. If anything, the classic “haunted house” trope is flipped on its head to great effect since the spirit haunting the family doesn’t actually want to harm them.

It’s no Caspar the Friendly Ghost though. The Spirit constantly observes the family, only interreacting with them a handful of times, the last interaction being especially great as it communicates the film’s themes of grief and sorrow perfectly.

Presence is a hard watch at times due to its subject matter, however dark topics are handled with a good amount of grace. The parents Rebecca and Chris Payne, played by Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, respectively are arguably the best actors among the relatively small cast.

Both actors do a great job at portraying a strained marriage, but at no point do you doubt that they once felt hopelessly in love with each other. Their children Chloe and Tyler are the primary leads of the film, with Chloe, played by Callina Liang, taking up most of the screen time.

The young actors do a good job with what they are given, but at certain points, their delivery tends to derail dramatic scenes.

Unfortunately, the film starts to fall flat in the third act with the dark mystery that is set up in the first act being paid off to little surprise. However, the last five minutes of Presence show a new angle to the film that’s as deeply moving as it is unreasonably spine-chilling.

For a January horror release, Presence is a uniquely interesting film. Even if it doesn’t do much to change the sub-genre it finds itself in, it remains a perfect example of what a well-written “haunted house” film can be.

Featured Image Credit: Extension 765

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Fourth year Film and Journalism student
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Contact - deputyeditor@brignews.com

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