Steven Soderbergh's New Horror Film Presence Divides Audiences at Sundance Film Festival

Intense Psychological Thriller Spurs Walkouts at Presence Premiere

Director Steven Soderbergh's new horror film, Presence, made its premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival last Friday night, but the film may have been a little too much for some moviegoers. According to Variety (via PopCulture), several people walked out of the film's screening early, reportedly because the psychological thriller was just that intense.

According to the report, one moviegoer reportedly said "I cannot take this stress so late at night" upon leaving the film, while even the film's cast reportedly appeared shaken after watching the screenings. The film's star Lucy Liu told the audience, "I'm just devastated. My body is having reactions as if I wasn't in the movie."

What Is Presence About?

Directed by Soderberg and written by David Koepp, Presence follows the Payne family — a mother, father, and their two children — who are each dealing with their own issues. When they move into a new house, the family quickly discovers that they are not alone. The film stars Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan. The film currently has a 100 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

While Presence is a "haunted house" film, what sets it apart from others in that genre is that the film is shot from the perspective of the entity haunting the home, with unusual angles that place the audience inside the house. Viewers watch the family as though they are being watched by the ghost.

"I had real questions about the choice that was at the center of this," Soderbergh said about the film's point of view. "I've been very vocal about the fact that VR, like one person, POV VR, doesn't work, it is never gonna work as a narrative. They want to see a reverse angle of the protagonist with an emotion on their face experiencing the thing. I've been beating this drum for like a long time. It's never gonna work."

Soderbergh Declines Return to Ocean's Eleven Franchise

While Presence is having its moment at Sundance, Soderbergh recently revealed that he was approached to continue the Ocean's Eleven franchise but turned it down. He expressed that he felt the series was concluded for him after the third movie and that he is focused on pursuing other projects.

"After we made the third movie, I felt like the series was very much concluded for me," Soderbergh said. "When the studio approached me to see if I'd be involved in continuing the franchise, I told them no, because it just doesn't feel like a move forward for me. I'm chasing something else."

Presence does not yet have a release date.