Contagion director joins Longlegs studio to make the ‘next In a Violent Nature’

The first teaser for Contagion director Steven Soderbergh’s anticipated horror has arrived, and it’s based on an In a Violent Nature coded premise. 

What’s more, the new movie’s being distributed by Neon, the studio behind Oz Perkins’ horror juggernaut Longlegs. 

Set to release in January 2025, Presence centers on a family who are haunted by a mysterious entity – only it’s told from the ghost’s point-of-view. 

This is where the In a Violent Nature comparisons come in, as Chris Nash’s indie hit was from the killer’s POV.

The new teaser trailer gives little away other than the perspective to expect, showing the family’s home from the entity’s eyes as it drifts from the window and into a room. 

However, this works in its favor, with the cryptic teaser mimicking the elusive marketing campaign for Longlegs. And there’s plenty of hype due to the various big names and talents involved. 

Firstly, Soderbergh is a truly diverse director, having helmed the likes of Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Erin Brockovich, Insane, Magic Mike, Contagion, and the Ocean’s Eleven film series. 

Making up the cast are Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Callina Liang, and Chris Sullivan, while Stir of Echoes and Jurassic Park writer David Koepp has penned the script. 

Although it’s not out until 2025, the new horror movie premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it reportedly caused walkouts due to the “intense” and “stressful” experience. 

As revealed by Variety’s Stephen Rodrick at the time: “There were a couple of walkouts in the otherwise rapturous audience, one who whispered, ‘I cannot take this stress so late at night.’”

Horror fans have been reacting to the new teaser with a mix of opinion, with many noting the similarity to the In a Violent Nature POV. 

One X/Twitter user quipped, “The studios gonna make this supernatural entity fight the slasher from In A Violent Nature and make us buy two tickets to see from both their perspectives.”

Another said, “So he saw Enter the Void and In a Violent Nature and thought… ‘I should do one like this.’”

Others are just excited to see Presence. “Weird trailer but super intriguing concept,” said one, while another wrote, “NEON having early A24 type streak.”

In the meantime, check out our list of the best horror movies ever made, as well as the horror flicks to get excited about in 2024. You can also read everything we know about Smile 2, 28 Years Later, and the Alien: Romulus timeline.