Although we’re only in early 2025, it’s challenging to envision another horror movie about a haunted house being released this year that carries the same intense emotional impact as Steven Soderbergh’s Presence. The film brilliantly portrays family dynamics and the significance of those relationships throughout the story, adding depth to its dramatic atmosphere. The single-location setting combines psychological horror with a human perspective, enhanced by the ghost’s point of view. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp, Presence centers around a teenage girl named Chloe (Callina Liang), her older brother Tyler (Eddy Maday), their mother Rebekah (Lucy Liu), and father Chris (Chris Sullivan). The family moves into a new house unaware that it is haunted by a ghost, following the suspicious deaths of two girls Chloe once knew from overdoses.
The entire film, seen through the eyes of a ghost, offers an emotionally gripping experience in “Presence”; this perspective makes viewers feel as if they’re right alongside the characters, enhancing the reaction to tense moments. Unlike most ghost movies or haunted house films, people anticipated “Presence” to be conventionally scary. However, what sets this movie apart — aside from Soderbergh’s creative use of point of view and perspective — is its ability to defy expectations with two unexpected and rewarding plot twists. The unveiling of the ghost’s identity at the end and its connection to the broader narrative plays a crucial role in fully appreciating the intricate tale crafted by Koepp and Soderbergh.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Presence
The Ghost’s Identity Explained
In her last moments at the haunted home, where her son, Tyler, tragically lost his life while shielding his sister from Ryan, a disturbed killer revealed in the movie’s shocking first twist, Rebekah stands before an antique mirror that once belonged to the house. As a spectral presence lingers behind her, Tyler’s ghostly visage emerges in the reflection, and Rebekah too sees him. Realizing the truth, she starts screaming for her son. When Chloe and Chris arrive to console Rebekah, she conveys, through her sobs, that Tyler’s ghost had remained in the house, waiting to protect Chloe when the need arose. Once his duty was fulfilled, Tyler’s spirit departed from the house, leaving it peacefully.
From the audience’s reaction, it appears that not everyone grasped the meaning behind Tyler’s ghostly appearance in the mirror at the end of the movie Presence. Some spectators left the theater perplexed as the story concluded without identifying the ghost’s identity. Yet, the scene of Tyler’s ghost in the mirror at the end is a significant twist: Tyler was the ghost all along, haunting the new home until the moment when the spectral form of Tyler had to be present for his living self to awaken and save Chloe from being killed by Ryan. It’s a bittersweet realization that Tyler managed to protect his sister but also perished alongside Ryan when he tackled him through Chloe’s bedroom window, resulting in their tragic deaths.
Intriguingly crafted by Koepp and Soderbergh, the movie subtly hints at the spectral identity scattered throughout, intensifying the shocking twist in the end while offering intriguing discoveries for multiple viewings. At times, these indicators might not initially catch your eye (yet they will upon a second viewing), like when Chris angrily scolds Tyler during an argument, demanding he defend his sister once. Additionally, there’s the scene where Chloe is intimate with Ryan, and it’s evident that the ghost dislikes this encounter, moving away from the scene while concealed in a closet. The spirit also exhibits concern for Chloe, such as by organizing her books neatly on her desk, and displays frustration with itself when Tyler mistreats his sister. Chloe, although apprehensive about the supernatural force, appears to perceive it as benign and assumes it’s the spectral form of her deceased friend.
Later on, a psychic along with her spouse are summoned to help when the rest of the family starts believing their house is haunted. In the course of their visit, they find out that the concept of time isn’t the same in the spirit realm as it is for us living beings. This idea sets the stage for the impending plot twist regarding Tyler. The storyline suggests that spectral entities don’t perceive time in a sequential manner like we do. Consequently, when it’s disclosed that Tyler has been observing his family from beyond the grave prior to his death, the revelation about how he seems to have traveled through time is already hinted at and subtly foreshadowed.
In “Presence,” the movie’s chilling atmosphere is built upon the unease of not knowing the ghost’s intentions or whether it poses a threat to the family, as it keeps watch over them. However, the film takes a terrifying turn when Ryan drugs Chloe and confessionally reveals his murderous nature. As Tyler, the ghost, watches from close proximity, Ryan methodically tortures and suffocates Chloe while detailing his past murders. The intensity and intimacy of this scene makes it feel as if we are witnessing a real-life murder of a young girl. Thankfully, Tyler manages to wake himself up in time to save Chloe, but the subsequent scene of Rebekah screaming for her son after seeing him in the mirror leaves viewers with raw emotions and possibly a few shivers down their spines.
So far, the impact of Presence has been underestimated by viewers, serving as a valuable lesson that a haunted house film doesn’t always need to be filled with constant frights to make a strong and lasting impression in the genre. Instead, suspense, the mystery, an original perspective, and human emotions are far more captivating than excessive jump scares.
Presence is now playing in theaters.
Read More
- EUR JPY PREDICTION
- DF PREDICTION. DF cryptocurrency
- ASTR PREDICTION. ASTR cryptocurrency
- TRB PREDICTION. TRB cryptocurrency
- South of Midnight PC Requirements Revealed
- MIN PREDICTION. MIN cryptocurrency
- PlayStation Network Still Down, Here’s When It May Come Back
- Doctor Strange’s Shocking Return in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday Revealed!
- POL PREDICTION. POL cryptocurrency
- CAKE PREDICTION. CAKE cryptocurrency
2025-02-16 07:40