Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- melancholic
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- quiet evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s cinematography, polished single-location construction, inventive entity-centered perspective, and touchingly human family drama, while some found its story predictable and its formal conceit limiting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film’s distinctive conceit places the camera with the unseen presence observing the family inside the new home.
The haunted suburban home functions as the film’s dominant environment, with corridors and rooms shaping the suspense.
The family’s conviction that they are not alone is intertwined with trauma, death, and their unraveling relationships.
Critics specifically praised the cinematography and the unsettling use of the house’s spacious design and meandering corridors.
Films like Presence, and why
The Others
shared single-location supernatural dread, subjective camera perspective, and grief-centered family drama
The Haunting
shared haunted-house atmosphere, family trauma, restrained supernatural horror, and visual experimentation
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
shared intimate domestic horror, psychological unease, and a supernatural presence tied to emotional loss
I Am a Ghost
shared formally unconventional ghost-story perspective, minimal setting, and melancholy supernatural tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Soderbergh
- Release Date
- 2025-01-17
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (820)
Cast
- Callina Liang
- Lucy Liu
- Chris Sullivan
- Eddy Maday
- West Mulholland
- Julia Fox
- Lucas Papaelias
- Natalie Woolams-Torres
- Benny Elledge
- Daniel Danielson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Presence about?
- An unseen presence observes a grieving suburban family as their new home turns domestic tension into supernatural dread.
- What is Presence like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Presence as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Presence violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Presence as mild.
- What did critics think of Presence?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s cinematography, polished single-location construction, inventive entity-centered perspective, and touchingly human family drama, while some found its story predictable and its formal conceit limiting.
- Which films are like Presence?
- Films with a similar feel include The Others, The Haunting, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and I Am a Ghost.
- How long is Presence?
- Presence runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch Presence?
- In United States, Presence streams on Hulu.
