Night Swim is exactly what you expect from a movie about a haunted swimming pool. The only thing we could have hoped for was leaning more into the campy side of things.
Night Swim is a silly, fun, absolutely ridiculous horror movie that manages to pick in a stellar performance from Wyatt Russell and a handful of jump scares. For those who get scared easily, don’t worry, this movie isn’t scary so much as suspenseful at times. While the entire cast leaves an impression, it is Wyatt Russell that becomes the standout as Ray Waller, a former professional baseball player who is dealing with the effects of M.S..
In Night Swim, the Wallers move into a new home and discover there is an unused swimming pool in the backyard. After fixing it up, they all enjoy it, but Ray uses it for water therapy so he is in it the most. Strange things start to happen that make the children, and Ray’s wife Eve (Kerry Condon) leery of the pool. What follows is a movie that is mostly ridiculous, although it does try to be too serious at times.
If Night Swim had leaned a bit more into the campy aspect, it would have easily become a cult classic and favorite among horror fans. However, there are moments where it tries to be too serious for its own good. This is a movie about a haunted swimming pool, after all. Wyatt Russell seems to be the only one who knows exactly what type of movie he is in, and he heavily leans into that in act three. It is here that some of his dialogue is laugh out loud ridiculous, but in the best way possible.
One of the biggest issues of the film is the way that the lore surrounding the haunted swimming pool is delivered. We don’t want to give spoilers, but just know that it feels as if there is too long a set up for a rushed through exposition dump. It feels as if there is almost no payoff because the background is rushed through. This honestly has us hoping for a prequel film so that we can explore the lore and mythos more in depth – so hey, maybe that was their plan all along?
When it comes to the plot of Night Swim, there are some holes and questionable decisions. Without getting into spoilers, there is a decision a mother makes that is not believable at all. Sure, you could say she was tricked into making it, but it certainly won’t sit well with parents. At the same time, this is a movie about a haunted swimming pool so… we will allow it.
Night Swim has some great visuals, especially during the jump scare moments, and might even have viewers second guessing their first swim of the season. That said, it really never becomes scary.
Overall, this movie isn’t terrible. It could certainly use some tweaking, but it is stupid enough to be fun and entertaining at times. Wyatt Russell steals the show, but the rest of the cast does a decent job supporting him. Perhaps their biggest fault is playing their characters too grounded, too straight, too safe. If everyone came to set ready to go bonkers like Wyatt did, the campiness would have paid off.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
NEXT: Night Swim Director Bryce McGuire Talks Challenges & Cast
About Night Swim
Based on the acclaimed 2014 short film by Rod Blackhurst and Bryce McGuire, the film stars Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, who moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve (Oscar® nominee Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin), teenage daughter Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle, this fall’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and young son Elliot (Gavin Warren, Fear the Walking Dead).
Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.
Night Swim is written and directed by Bryce McGuire (writer of the upcoming film Baghead) and is produced by James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Jason Blum, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man. The film is executive produced by Michael Clear and Judson Scott for Wan’s Atomic Monster and by Ryan Turek for Blum’s Blumhouse.
Night Swim comes to theaters on January 5th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.