Presence: Everything we know about Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp's upcoming horror film

Steven Soderbergh came up with something unique this time with Presence, starring Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, and more. Fans may not be able to see the ghost this time because the film is shot from the perspective of a phantom only. If that is a game, they would be the ghost.

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 before an American independent film company, Neon, grabbed the distribution rights. Critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes show it a worth watching, while the IMDb score deems it an average film at the time of writing.

Like it is with many horror films, a family moves into a new house, and it turns out to be haunted by a ghost. And, of course, they can feel the presence, especially on a teenage girl in the family who is sort of annoyed with her mother, typical family things.

Everything we know so far about Presence

For now, the only thing that is likely to attract the major attention of the audience is that the film is shot from the perspective of a ghost. David Koepp, known for films like The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has written the film. He is also the ninth most successful screenwriter concerning the U.S. box office.

Neon, known for distributing Parasite, I, Tonya, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and more, paid $5 million for the film following its premiere at the Liberty Theatre. It will now be released U.S.-wide on January 24, 2025.

Current scores paint a good picture of the film so, likely it will perform well at the box office. Metacritic holds 78 out of 100, while Rotten Tomatoes certifies it fresh with 89%. Zack Ryan has composed the film's score and worked with Steven Soderbergh on a miniseries dubbed Full Circle.

Soderbergh recently appeared in an interview with SFX Magazine and explained where his inspiration came from. It was a paranormal reality television show called Celebrity Ghost Stories that first aired in 2009.

It stars Lucy Liu as Rebecca, Julia Fox as Cece, Chris Sullivan as Chris, Callina Liang as Chloe, Eddy Maday as Tyler, West Mulholland as Ryan, and Lucas Papaelias as Carl. Benny Elledge, Jared Wiseman, Natalie Woolams-Torres, and more.

What is David Soderbergh's Presence about?

The film is about an entity invisible to the human eye. This phantom is roaming in an empty house initially but soon is occupied by a family. It observes them as they go about their daily chores, jobs, schools, etc. However, it isn't just a routine but the struggles this family is handling.

Chloe remains the focus on this phantom in Presence, with whom the ghost slowly develops an unlikely bond. She has recently lost someone and is grieving for the person.

She has a brother, too, who is the golden child of this house, and essentially, the reason the family moved is that it will help in his academics. However, the family doesn't know the secrets the phantom in Presence observes.

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That is how the entire film will advance, and as the entity makes herself known, chaos in the family follows. Fans will notice the activities that we usually see in paranormal films might not be intentional.

Also, who this entity is is still unclear, but it can be this person Chloe is mourning. But then it seems like the phantom is trapped in the house for some time. so it could be a different case.

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