One thing I love most about the horror genre is its remarkable versatility, boasting a nearly unmatched variety of related subgenres, from slashers to creature features. That being said, there are certain categories of horror that I have grown a bit tired of in recent years, especially haunted house thrillers. That is why I am so thankful for a recent film called Presence.
I finally got around to seeing this new 2025 movie from Academy Award-winning director Stephen Soderbergh and writer David Koepp with my Hulu subscription, and I believe it is one of the most refreshingly unique ghost stories I have ever seen. I would call it the best new horror movie I have seen so far this year, but the story it tells transcends the genre as far as I am concerned. Allow me to further explain – without spoilers – why I think Presence is one of the best haunted house movies in a long time, if not ever.
The Ghost POV Gimmick Is Used Wonderfully
Presence is, quite literally, a ghost story told from the point of view of the ghost. The camera acts as the eyes of the spirit haunting the Payne family – Rebekah (Lucy Liu), her husband, Chris (Chris Sullivan), their daughter, Chloe (Callina Liang), and older son, Tyler (Eddy Maday) – soon after they move into a new home.
Presenting the story entirely through a voyeuristic fish-eye lens could have easily been a cheap, tiresome gimmick, but I found the cinematography (shot by Soderbergh under the pseudonym Peter Andrews) beautiful in both a technical and emotional sense. By shooting each scene in one continuous take (and achieving some genuinely eye-opening visual effects, too), Presence had me locked into the story more effectively than most found footage thrillers might, as if I were the lingering spirit floating right next to these characters, whom I was becoming more attached to by the minute.
It’s A More Interesting Family Drama Than A Horror Movie
Even without the ghostly POV gimmick that makes it an instant horror movie classic in my book, Presence would be a wholly gripping experience. I genuinely believe that Koepp does some of his all-time best work with this screenplay, depicting the Payne Family’s complicated dynamic.
I will not divulge any details about the non-supernatural circumstances plaguing these characters, but I will say they are portrayed in a refreshingly grounded and authentic manner, with strong performances all around and the incorporation of themes that practically anyone could identify with. I would categorize it as a horror movie about grief, but it, thankfully, casts a wider net than that. There were even moments that reminded me of my relationship with my own family to the point that I was nearly moved to tears, which I did not at all expect.
It Has A Chilling Twist Ending
The best ghost stories often end with a shocking plot twist, the killer reveal in The Sixth Sense (still considered the greatest M. Night Shyamalan movie twist) being the standard for most audiences. Not only do I believe that Presence is no exception, but I think it’s a high-ranking example.
Without giving too much away, the twist is unlike almost anything I have seen in the realm of haunted house stories, and while the mechanics of it are slightly confusing, it still makes sense in terms of how it serves the overall narrative. On top of that, it is a heartwrenching epilogue to an already deeply emotional story.
While it is certainly not the scariest film I have ever seen, I am not too surprised that audiences walked out of Presence over its stress-inducing subject matter when it premiered at Sundance, according to Variety. I was afraid it might be because horror fans who were expecting a more traditional fright fest got bored, but I imagine anyone disappointed by something like the experimental indie thriller Skinamarink will certainly find this film more accessible. Maybe when you stream Presence on Hulu, you might even find yourself wondering if there is something in your home watching you.
