Presence

It's definitely not for everyone... This movie was so interesting and gripping... I was hooked and got along with the ghost...

Damn... The ending makes you think about what that lady said "Time, it doesn't work the same way for it. Past, present can be happening at the same time, so it doesn't Even know when it is."

This film's ending reminds me of that Australian film "Lake Mungo". It's really interesting when you think about it and scary when you actually deep think about it... I remember I couldn't sleep for days, because of this film... And now probably again... 😅

Presence (2025) - ❤x8

This is a very different kind of Horror movie. As I started watching I was sure I was not going to like it . . . but I was wrong - very wrong.

The Cinematography of this movie is unique and that alone makes it worth watching.
The method of telling the story is possibly unique, definitely interesting and different. This also makes it worth watching.
And lastly, the "presence" in the house I believe is also something we've never seen before.
All in all - this is a must watch and a should watch for anyone who likes Horror, Thrillers, or anything new and different.

How I rate:
1-3 ❤ = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 ❤ = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 ❤ = I expect you will like this too
9-10 ❤ = movies and TV shows I really love!

>"Have you ever noticed that your advice always corresponds exactly with us not having to do anything at all?"

The story is effective, if a little on the nose. I teared up a few times. Great acting, especially impressive with all those long takes.

The first person POV is dizzying, but it works here to convey an ongoing off-kilter sense of the Presence. Fascinating how I was able to forget about it half the time and just watched the characters, until I would be reminded about the Presence again.

More drama than horror. Don't go expecting to be scared or even a little "jumped". I'm more worried people are not going to like it because they were expecting something more. In my opinion I liked the story and the family conflict that made you feel like an outsider looking in in this POV ghost story. Definitely something to appreciate.

This film is a great barometer for those who actually enjoy interesting filmmaking and taking chances. Most audiences will not sit through such a treat anymore and as usual, it's their loss.

Beautiful set designs and camera work, but sometimes incredibly stilted dialogue. It feels like a direct adaption from a short story, which is done beautiful in some instances but lacking in others, where it doesn't really translate well from written to visual.

I liked that we were put in the middle of the family drama, I and don't think that there were too many plot holes, but rather just enough of context into familial affairs to give an idea of who the characters were. All of the characters felt believable except for the villain, both the character himself and how he is introduced.

The ending leaves much to be desired and is very abrupt, but it goes along well with the rest of the movie.

The medium was unnecessary and didn't fit with the rest of the story. It was a cheap way to give clues to the audience instead of finding a subtler alternative to convey the same message.

And I get that all of the doors were always open for the visual effect, but come on, what teenagers have their doors wide open all the time?

A very standard haunted house movie presented in an experimental way

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Presence’:

1. I’m still trying to figure out the illegal thing the mom did and how it ties into everything.

2. This did for spirits what _In a Violent Nature_ did for slasher killers, but INFINITELY better. Cool concept that stays with you for a bit. I think one could even benefit from a second viewing.

3. I thought it was being totally obvious with its story’s direction… until it wasn’t… then it was, but it kinda wasn’t. All in all, in wasn’t AS predictable as I was fearing it’d be.

I went in almost completely blind and had thought this would be a much more experimental film like Skinamarink, but it was closer to A Ghost Story. Think supernatural drama, tragedy. I really enjoyed it. I liked the roles the characters played in the film, the character development matched up so well with the outcome of the story and really led to some mystery in the film.

I just was pleasantly surprised and come out sadder.

'Presence' holds uniqueness in regards to how it is filmed, which is very effective, though its story does end up being quite straightforward - and more teen drama-ry than anticipated. All the same, I did enjoy myself whilst watching it unfold across 85mins, pleasantly.

The cast are also a strong point of this film. Lucy Liu and Eddy Maday are decent, though Callina Liang and Chris Sullivan are the definitive standouts - both t'rific. West Mulholland is solid in his role, even if I'm not absolutely sold on everything that goes on with his character.

Interesting that this closely follows the release (at least in the UK) of Robert Zemeckis' 'Here' - two films shot in original perspectives. This Steven Soderbergh picture isn't quite as high class as that one, but all in all is worthy of a watch; especially with such a short run time.

Thanks to the aforementioned, I was able to watch this at the cinema shortly after finishing Mel Gibson's 'Flight Risk'. You could say both do have a feel of being made-for-streaming (this feels Welcome to the Blumhouse-esque), but I will never moan about the ability to watch movies on the big screen.