‘Presence’ Brings a Ghost’s Perspective to UK Cinemas

Steven Soderbergh, the acclaimed director of Contagion, Ocean’s 11, and Traffic, has made a highly anticipated return to theatrical releases with Presence, a supernatural horror film that hit UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, 24th January. This marks the filmmaker’s first widespread cinema release in years, after a series of streaming-first projects.

Presence promises a unique perspective on the horror genre, being told entirely from the point of view of a ghost. The film stars Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels), Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), and Chris Sullivan (This Is Us), and has already garnered an impressive 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes following its debut at Sundance last year. With a script penned by David Koepp, the screenwriter behind Jurassic Park and Spider-Man, Presence blends gripping storytelling with the atmospheric tension Soderbergh is known for.

Shot during the challenging conditions of the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, the production was made possible through a special SAG-AFTRA agreement for select independent films. NEON, the distributor behind recent indie horror successes like Longlegs, has positioned Presence as another potential box office breakout, capitalising on the current surge in horror’s popularity.

The film’s plot remains shrouded in mystery, adding to its allure. The first-person ghostly perspective hints at a narrative twist where the living characters may hold the true terror. Comparisons have already been drawn to iconic films like The Sixth Sense, but Presence looks set to carve its own path, offering an innovative approach that could redefine how ghost stories are told.

With Soderbergh back on the big screen and horror continuing to dominate alongside blockbuster fare, Presence could very well follow in the footsteps of recent sleeper hits. Don’t miss your chance to watch it on the big screen, check out the trailer below for a taste of what you can expect to see.

Presence trailer