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There are some houses in movies that you'd love to live in. But there are others that are gorgeous but have a distinct unnerving feel to them. Living spaces lit by a cold eerie light where the walls are keepers of dark secrets, the rooms a breeding ground for the unspeakable. There's a feeling that makes you shudder, a feeling of being watched. An apparition that is always out of reach but ever-present.

This house, beautiful on the outside, chilling on the inside, is precisely what the Payne family — Rebecca (Lucy Liu), father Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their two children Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) — have just moved into.

Welcome to the world of Presence, a daring supernatural thriller from Academy Award and Palme d'Or winner Steven Soderbergh that will deliver plenty of shocks and surprises.

It's a new brand of horror that has instantly found favour with both mainstream critics ("This is an enormously satisfying watch for haunted house movie fans," says Entertainment Weekly) and genre connoisseurs ("It terrifies you then leaves your heart on the floor," screamed Bloody Disgusting) while Awards Watch enthused, "One of the scariest movies you'll see this year."

What makes Presence stand out from the standard spooky fare is that everything is shown from the perspective of an all-seeing but unseen spirit. Such an original premise could only come from Soderbergh, the visionary director behind films including Traffic, Contagion, and sex, lies and videotape.

As a filmmaker, he is both a sultan of suspense — his camera drifts around the house representing the spectre's point of view, filling the frame with uncertainty and dread — and a spinner of surprises — a glass of orange juice flies from a bedside table with ferocious force.

He is joined on this foray into fear with screenwriter David Koepp who, in his work on Jurassic Park and Panic Room, has shown unparalleled skill mining terror and tension from the most confined spaces.

In Soderbergh's sure, safe hands, viewers can expect to be taken on a unique trip, anchored by gripping performances from the four actors at the film's heart.

For fans of ghost stories, there's plenty of paranormal activity to contend with, as the unwanted resident inside the Payne family's home begins to make their existence known.

Scary but smart, creepy but classy, Presence brings something new and experiential, a perfect fit for these cold, dark nights. The only house you'll need this winter is a Picturehouse.   Ian Freer

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