Discover Why ‘Presence’ Highlights That Not Every Film Deserves to Be Made

In 1988, I watched an impressive psychological thriller titled Apartment Zero. It was fresh, thrilling, and felt very original. The film featured standout performances from Colin Firth and Hart Bochner. It also introduced a young writer named David Koepp. Around the same time, Steven Soderbergh was making waves with his indie film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Though neither film was a box office hit, they gained cult followings and marked the beginning of exciting careers. Koepp would go on to write blockbuster films like Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, and Jurassic Park, while Soderbergh earned acclaim for movies like Erin Brockovich.

Fast forward, and they’ve reunited for a film called Presence.

PRESENCE ★ (1/4 stars)
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: David Koepp
Starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Laing
Running time: 85 mins.

When these two talented creators join forces, people take notice. Unfortunately, the film’s title is misleading; it lacks the impactful presence one would expect. The storyline follows a man who moves his family to a beautiful but eerie country house in the woods. The house is filled with striking décor and strange features. But as soon as they arrive, the typical horror movie clichés start surfacing. Books float around as if haunted. The daughter believes it might be her deceased friends reaching out. A psychic predicts tragedy without ever stepping inside. Yet, nothing alarming actually happens.

The film is made longer with pointless subplots, including the husband considering divorce for no clear reason. A bizarre character enters the story and adds confusion instead of thrills. For a horror movie, it relies heavily on bland dialogue and fails to build any real suspense. Characters are more annoyed than terrified, delivering lines that lack meaningful impact. One particularly dull phrase is, “Make smart choices—the stupid ones tend to last forever.” It’s striking how far Koepp has strayed from the edge-of-your-seat tension of Apartment Zero.

In summary, Presence feels like a missed opportunity. Its empty nature makes it hard to classify, but “worthless” springs to mind.

As for the acting, it’s perhaps best not to mention specific names to spare the cast from added scrutiny.