If you liked Long Legs and thought Cuckoo looked pretty good, you’ll be happy to know that NEON will remain in the suspense and horror realm for the foreseeable future. In January 2025, Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike) will direct Presence, and it may be unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
The pitch was simple: This is a story about a supernatural entity… from the supernatural entity’s point of view. We’ve tried this format before, with the Paranormal Activity series, but this type of horror story has never been told (at least not in mainstream cinema). The other side perspective, which alone will be enough to lure many horror fanatics and general moviegoers into the theaters. If you’re wondering who wrote this: it was written by Jurassic Park’s David Koepp, a longtime Steven Spielberg collaborator who also helped shape the next Jurassic World movie.
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We also had the chance to see The Nature of Violence in theaters earlier this year, a horror film told from the killer’s point of view. While it wasn’t terribly groundbreaking, it was a welcome change of pace, so perhaps Presence can replicate that style in the admittedly overused “haunted house” sub-genre. A few minor changes to the classic horror formula seem to be in demand lately, so these two films could be the beginning of a larger movement to reinvent horror for a younger generation.
The first trailer for Presence isn’t even a minute long, but it already creates a melancholic atmosphere and lets casual viewers know that Soderbergh’s career is one of the most insane and fascinating. You can watch it here:
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The film was shot in 2023 and screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, earning a 92% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. NEON quickly won distribution rights for the film and is looking to extend its winning streak into 2025. Another horror blockbuster from the company, Shelby Oaks, directed by YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann and starring horror master Mike Flanagan, should be a topic of conversation in the near future.
The cast of Presence includes Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday and West Mulholland. The film is scheduled to be released in select theaters in the United States on January 17, 2025, and nationwide on January 24, 2025. Stay tuned for international rollout plans in the coming months.
