Adam Scott's Pick For Underrated Horror Flick Is One Of Steven Soderbergh's Best | Sorry Not Sorry
While the horror genre has never been more popular, plenty of its best films still slip through the cracks, overshadowed by bigger franchises, familiar IPs, or whatever happens to dominate the box office that weekend. But sometimes all it takes is the right recommendation for one of those forgotten gems to find a whole new audience.
That's exactly what happened when JustWatch asked Adam Scott to name an underrated horror movie that deserves more attention. "It's just a couple years ago… [Steven] Soderbergh's movie that… I think it's called Presence. And it's from the point of view of a ghost haunting a house," the actor said while promoting 2026's Hokum. "I thought that was super interesting and a lot of fun."
It's easy to understand why Presence left an impression on Scott. The story follows the Payne family after they move into a new home in the suburbs. Rebekah (Lucy Liu) is focused on advancing her career, while her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) struggles to help their teenage children, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang), who are dealing with their own problems.
Chloe, who is grieving the death of her best friend, eventually becomes convinced that someone (or something) is trying to communicate with her. The family assumes an evil spirit is haunting them. But the ghost may not be the real danger after all. It's a clever twist on one of horror's oldest formulas. It also raises an interesting question. Why do people always assume the ghost is the villain?
Not Every Ghost Wants To Hurt You
Ghosts have been a popular part of storytelling for centuries. And despite what horror movies might have us believe, they weren't always thought to be evil. In many Western folk tales, ghosts were simply restless spirits with unfinished business, like wanting to warn the living of impending danger. The idea that every ghost is automatically a monster is actually a fairly modern horror convention.
That isn't to say horror hasn't made great use of malicious spirits. Films like The Conjuring (2013) and Paranormal Activity (2007) have built entire franchises around supernatural forces being the central threat. But every so often, a film comes along that challenges those expectations. Casper (1995) brought popular culture's most recognizable friendly ghost to the big screen.
Like the Casper comics, the movie showed us that spirits could be compassionate rather than terrifying. The Sixth Sense (1999) took a more dramatic approach by revealing that many of the ghosts haunting Cole Sear (Hayley Joel Osment) weren't seeking revenge at all. They simply wanted someone to hear them, understand them, and help them move on.
The Sixth Sense didn't totally abandon the creepy vibe that makes ghost stories fun to watch. The movie just wanted us to reconsider the role ghosts can play. Just because someone has died doesn't automatically make them bad in ghost form. The spirit lurking in the shadows can often be the only one that understands what's really happening. And Presence brings a fresh perspective to that overall concept.
Why You Should Watch 'Presence' (And What To Watch After)
Presence feels completely different because the audience never leaves the ghost's perspective. That creative decision changes almost everything about the viewing experience. Instead of wondering when the next jump scare is coming, the camera glides through hallways, which can make you feel like another presence trapped inside the house. It's an unusual approach that demands a little patience.
Still, Presence builds an atmosphere of unease that slowly gets under your skin. As the Paynes' relationships begin to crumble, the mystery focuses on them rather than the ghost. By the time the film reaches its final act, it's less interested in asking whether ghosts exist than what they choose to do when they're forced to watch terrible things happen.
If Scott's recommendation has convinced you to give Presence a chance, there's another underrated supernatural thriller that's well worth adding to your watchlist. Haunter (2013) stars Abigail Breslin as Lisa Johnson, a teenage girl who appears to be living the same day over and over again inside her family's home. It doesn't take long before she realizes something is terribly wrong.
Lisa eventually discovers that she and her family are actually the ghosts haunting the house, while a serial killer is targeting the living family that has since moved in. Like Presence, the film flips the traditional haunted house formula on its head by asking audiences to experience the story from the ghosts' point of view instead of the victims'.
