The Presence (2010)

2010
Directed by Tom Provost
Starring Mira Sorvino, Justin Kirk, Tony Curran and Shane "The Pimp" West

For all of my fellow horror fans out there, I'm sure that you've heard some of these genius comments at some point in your life:
"Oh, this movie is in BLACK AND WHITE??!"
"That looks so FAKE!!"
"You have to READ this movie??  Screw that!"

And other assorted gems of observation that are too good to mention.  Because, you know, I wasn't aware of any of these things while watching these movies, and I'm not going to watch them anymore, so thanks for pointing out these startling facts!

The "special effects" comments are always particularly amusing to me.  Now, I know that film is subjective and everyone can think what they want, but...really?  Refusing to watch movies because they don't have $100 million budgets to blow CGI on?  My point: a movie's budget is never a reason to see it or not see it.  I genuinely can't remember the last big megadoom action blockbuster I saw that I actually wanted to watch again.  It really is quite ironic.  These days, Hollywood do anything that a writer can imagine with minimal effort.  But...

The movie in question today is excellent antidote.  The Presence is a super-nifty little thriller from 2010 that was shot for roughly how much it costs to buy a Whopper Jr. value meal, and it doesn't matter in the least bit.  It's creepy, it's atmospheric, and it has the awesomeness of seeing Mira Sorvino onscreen for virtually the entire running time.  If Robert Stack were still alive, no doubt he could have a field day with the mystery of what has happened to her career.  Of all the actors who could have been banished to Lifetime original movies, how this Oscar winner (who is also certifiably hot) wound up in this predicament...man, it's mind-boggling.  And I'll just leave it at that.  To this day, every once in a while she still gets the chance to show her acting chops, and if you're up for a tour-de-force performance look no further.

Folks, The Presence is all about LESS IS MORE.  Longtime readers know that if there is anything in a movie that gives me an erection, it's that very principle.  The first 15 minutes consists of almost nothing but total silence, as Sorvino (whose character is never named in the movie - IMDB lists her as merely "The Woman," and the same can be said for the rest of the characters) arrives at a lakeside cabin alone.  We watch her maintain the place, do chores, sleep, it's like the first five minutes of Jason Goes to Hell only we actually buy that it IS building to something. 

All throughout, the movie introduces its interesting visual quirk, as a ghost is watching her.  The audience can see the dude but Sorvino can't.  It really is unnerving how this is presented - it's like a J-horror movie if you've got the patience for that sort of thing (which a lot of people don't, sadly).  The ghost is played by Shane West, and he's got all kinds of rules that he must abide by.  No leaving the house.  No physically interacting with the living.  It's not spelled out exactly, but the fact that I was able to pick up on this is a testament to the script.  Where this is going is very intriguing on the first watch, but SLIGHTLY unfortunately this is where the boyfriend shows up.

Yes, sir, Justin Kirk of Weeds arrives, the longtime significant other of Sorvino's character, and it's here where we get a lot more development.  See, Sorvino had a very troubled childhood in the form of a father who sexually abused her, and we get all kinds of dialogue that clue us in that Kirk has wanted to marry Sorvino for a while but she has refused based on her natural distrust of relationships and having children.  The boyfriend is easily the weakest thing about this movie; the script tries to paint him as this likable, sympathetic guy, but he really comes off as more of a milquetoast annoying douche.  Fortunately, we're about to get hit with a twist that's way more interesting than him.

While the ghost watches somewhat jealously, a new entity makes its presence felt in the house.  A dark presence.  So dark that he is named "The Dark Man" on IMDB.  Ladies and gentlemen, our resident horror movie demon character, with Tony Curran hamming it up in just the right ways.  He whispers combinations of threats an temptations in Sorvino's ear about what Kirk's motivations are (and, again, the audience can see him but the human characters can't).  He also tempts West's ghost in a way, as the poor sap also has romantic feelings for Sorvino despite the fact that he has a ghost dick that is probably useless in this situation.  The way that the movie plays out from this point on is fairly predictable, but it's artfully done, a mix of melodrama and scary stuff that hits all of its marks exactly as it should. 

People, emotional investment is what movies are all about.  It's why I enjoy The Presence and don't care about The Avengers in the least bit.  I was REALLY invested in Sorvino's character in this movie.  A lot of it is on the script.  Tom Provost (who also directed) can definitely be proud of the story that he churned out here because it's a masterclass in pacing, starting off slow and gradually escalating until we get a satisfying climax.  When I start talking like a snooty film professor, you know we're dealing with some good stuff.  It also helps when you have an actor who really nails the way that a character is written, and that's exactly what we get with Sorvino here.  There are actors who would have been all "yeah yeah blah blah" with this role, but she was into it every step of the way and it shows.  Shane West's ghost character is also very intriguing and has an arc of his own to go through.  Hell, pretty much everything about this movie works.

Well, except for Justin Kirk.  That dude can fuck right off.

*** 1/2 out of ****.  It's LESS IS MORE by the letter, 90% story, 10% scares, and that's about as perfect of a ratio as I can think of.  Highly recommended.