Presence is a haunted house drama from director Steven Soderbergh. The presence was in the house to do something. The story was told from the point of view of the presence.

Presence begins with a realtor (Julia Fox) showing a house to a family. They make an offer on the place immediately. Rebekah (Lucy Liu) heads the family and her teddy bear of a husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) lets her. They have two teens – Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang).

We see moments and interactions the presence is interested in seeing. The presence is particularly interested in Chloe. Chloe just lost a friend to a drug overdose. She’s the only one in the family who can sense that something is in the house with them. She thinks it’s her dead friend.

The presence can move objects. It moves Chloe’s books around. She tries to tell her family about it. Tyler and her mom ridicule and her. Her dad believes her and wants to help her.

Tyler brings home a friend from school, Ryan (West Mulholland). Ryan is popular and Tyler is convinced he’s scored a victory by befriending him. He enjoys telling the family about Ryan’s dirty tricks on girls at school.

Ryan and Chloe start a relationship, but in secret from Tyler. That’s when the presence realizes Ryan is not a nice guy and takes steps to protect Chloe from him.

They get a vague warning from a woman who “senses things” they invite to come to the house. She confirms what Chloe has been saying.

The way the story worked out was a complete surprise to me. It made me wonder what exactly the presence was meant to do in that house.

There was no intimacy in this film. The family was observed from a distance. It was detached but involved, if that makes any sense.

I wouldn’t call this one a horror movie. It was more suspenseful and psychological and not creepy or riddled with jump scares. The unique POV made the story completely different from the usual haunted house fright fest.

This one is streaming on Hulu/Disney+.