Credit: NEON Koepp expanded on this: "In the last 10 to 15 years, horror has really been prominent and changed. Gore and jump scares are huge. When people hear horror, they think of that. When I think of horror,

This article discusses the plot and ending of "Presence," now playing in theaters. As with many ghost stories, the presence in "Presence" has a good reason to haunt its house. After watching on as the Payne family turns against one another,

Over Zoom I spoke to Koepp about writing within the confines of the film’s single point-of-view, the value of what’s left out of a story, dreams and screenwriting, and his thoughts on the business of screenwriting today. Presence opens January 24, 2025 from NEON.

Campfire tales of spectres, spirits, and spooks have been with us since Day One. Certainly, they've proved good fodder for the cinema.

In 1989, both Steven Soderbergh and "Presence" screenwriter David Koepp had movies at the Sundance Film Festival. While the two didn't meet that year — Koepp was not in attendance for his "Bad Influence,

Koepp's writing is thorny and cuts deceptively deep, like a scrape that looks like a surface wound until it won’t stop bleeding.

The actor admits that Soderbergh's unusual way of capturing the film — told from a ghost's point of view — was a challenge to get used to: "it took the first day of shooting and a mini panic attack."

The entire film is shot entirely from the ghost's point of view, the audience haunting a family that has recently moved into a New Jersey home, not realizing that something was already living there. Critic Sean Burns says it's a great gimmick,

Koepp has proven himself to be one of Hollywood’s preeminent screenwriters since Steven ... as with David Fincher’s home invasion thriller “Panic Room” or Soderbergh’s own tech-skeptic ...

In 1989, both Steven Soderbergh and “Presence” screenwriter David Koepp had movies at the Sundance Film Festival. While the two didn’t meet that year — Koepp was not in attendance for his ...

Producer Ken Myers, screenwriter David Koepp, producer Julie M. Anderson, and director Steven Soderbergh pose at the "Presence" premiere. Producer Ken Myers, screenwriter David Koepp, producer ...

What if a ghost could tell its own story but not speak? That is the wildly compelling premise of Presence. Director Steven Soderbergh reteams with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp for an unconventional haunted house story,