This film leaves me feeling a lot like I felt after watching Neon's Longlegs in 2024. A quirky approach to a horror story, mostly well-executed, but with a story that ends up feeling inauthentic and clumsy. Personally I'd much rather watch a film that tries to do something different, even if it doesn't quite stick the landing, than a thousand cheap jumpscare horror clones. Presence did something different so I applaud it. Pro: genuinely chilling at times: the scene with Natalie Woolams-Torres left the hairs on my arms standing on end. Pro: mostly good, natural scriptwriting and acting. Pro: just the right amount of levity at just the right times to keep the audience going without getting too silly. Con: as the plot gets into its late stages it just doesn't feel right. I'm not sure how I'd have written it instead but there must have been room for a dark, natural and believable way to take the characters where they needed to be without *that* dialogue. Con: the audience is limited by the characters' likeability here. I think the family father seems compelling but mother, daughter and son all left me feeling a little... uninterested in their fates? In one case this is a deliberate device to drive the plot and make the ending impactful but in the other two it seems inexcusable. Con: I'm here partly for Julia Fox and she's barely in the movie. Boo! Give me a director's cut complete with 45 minutes of freehold contract negotiations and I'll bump my review up to an 8.

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