Presence
Presence

Movie spotlight

Presence

2018
Movie
3 min
English

Produced for Glass Eye Pix as part of their 2018 Creepy Christmas Film Festival, in which each short is inspired by a holiday-themed word. This film, the seventh in the series, is inspired by the word "presents."

Insights

IMDb5.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes40%
Metacritic45/100
Google Users55%
Director: Steven KnightGenres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Plot Summary

A woman, Sarah, begins to experience unsettling supernatural events after her husband, Mark, goes missing. As the disturbances escalate, she finds herself isolated and questioning her sanity, while a mysterious presence seems to taunt and manipulate her. The film explores themes of grief, isolation, and the unknown as Sarah desperately seeks answers about Mark's disappearance and the entity that haunts her.

Critical Reception

Steven Knight's 'Presence' received a mixed to negative reception from critics and audiences, with many finding its pacing slow and its narrative underdeveloped. While some praised the atmospheric tension and Vera Farmiga's performance, the film was largely criticized for its predictable scares and lack of originality in the supernatural horror genre.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praiseworthy for its attempt at atmospheric tension and Vera Farmiga's committed performance.

  • Criticized for a predictable plot and reliance on common horror tropes.

  • The film's slow burn pacing and underdeveloped narrative left many viewers unsatisfied.

Google audience: Google users found the film to be adequately creepy at times, with some appreciating the unsettling atmosphere and Farmiga's portrayal. However, many felt the plot was too slow, the scares uninspired, and the ending anticlimactic, leading to a generally lukewarm reception.

Fun Fact

The film was originally developed as a television series pilot before being reconfigured as a standalone feature film.

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