Presence (2025)

Steven Soderbergh’s Presence isn’t your typical haunted house story. The film is told from the ghost’s perspective and instead of being just about the scares, it’s more focused on creating a gripping mystery…who or what is the presence and why is it there? No spoilers, but *literally* the last 30 seconds of the movie puts all the pieces together and your heart will absolutely drop into your stomach. It’s a slow burn, but one that’s well worth it.

Although Presence is the story of a home inhabited by a poltergeist or presence, it's not the typical haunted house horror film one would expect. Instead, it plays out like a slow-burn mystery. The film sets itself apart from most haunted house premises in that it plays from the perspective of the Presence, leaning into family drama, grief, and emotion more than jump scares and thrills. While Presence may not appeal to viewers looking for a typical scary horror film, it can still induce goosebumps from the intense emotional and human twists it puts on its haunted house premise.