Expanding a horror short to feature length is tricky work, particularly when the short in question gets straight to the scares. Writer/Director Bryce McGuire’s 2014 short Night Swim, a collaboration with Rod Blackhurst, cut straight to the horror to exploit everyone’s worst fears about swimming pools. Almost a full decade later, McGuire’s feature expansion showcases more ways to mine terror from the aquatic concept, buoyed by a great cast, but a familiar formula and simplified mythology threaten to sink it all.
After a cold open demonstrates the dangers of the film’s haunted location, a seemingly benign anywhere America backyard pool, Night Swim introduces the ill-fated family destined to discover the supernatural treachery awaiting them. The Waller family are at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives; a recent degenerative illness diagnosis cut a professional baseball career short for dad Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell). As Ray struggles with not just his functional health but concepts of identity without his beloved sport, it’s up to his wife Eve (Kerry Condon) to care for him and, frequently, act as the bridge between dad and children Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren). Eve’s years of sacrifice to Ray’s career continue when they purchase a home with a pool ideal for Ray’s physical therapy. Only the Wallers’ dreams of a better life get derailed by supernatural occurrences that mean the family harm.
(from lower left) Izzy Waller (Amélie Hoeferle), Elliot Waller (Gavin Warren), Kay (Nancy Lenehan), Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell) and Eve Waller (Kerry Condon) in Night Swim, directed by Bryce McGuire. © 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
It’s the family dynamics and the great cast that mostly keep McGuire’s feature afloat. Russell’s natural affability creates an easy foothold into the Waller family’s plight, with his illness putting more weight on Eve’s shoulders. Younger sibling Elliot desperately wants to make his athlete dad proud, but his interests and lack of coordination mean he struggles to connect. That doesn’t just contribute to the emotional stakes, but it’s a key relationship that underscores Eve’s keen talent for observation.
Condon leans into Eve’s maternal instincts, ensuring a savvy horror heroine who makes smart choices at every turn. When the haunted swimming pool begins its machinations in earnest, Eve is the first to get suspicious. McGuire’s script ensures that it’s the sinister force at play that thwarts Eve’s attempts to protect her family and never a contrived character choice solely to propel the narrative forward. Thanks to Condon’s nuanced performance, Night Swim quickly becomes her movie.
Night Swim is also helped by cinematographer Charlie Sarroff (Relic, Smile), who captures the central antagonist- the pool- with a stunning clarity that makes the underwater sequences pop. As McGuire mines every facet, drain, and depth for the horror, it’s made more tactile by a commitment to practical effects. Fractured FX ensures that the ghosts that pop up to torment isolated swimmers are bloated and unsettling. Night Swim soars when it plunges its protagonists into inky black depths to confront unknown, impossible horrors.
Kerry Condon as Eve Waller in Night Swim, directed by Bryce McGuire.
Where it flounders is in the mythology and story itself. A strong concept gets Night Swim off to a solid start, supported by characters with rooting interest, but it quickly devolves into a series of haunted house tropes that recall more classic entries. The more Ray channels his inner George Lutz or Jack Torrance, the more contrived the high concept effort becomes. Or rather, more predictable. The explanation behind the pool’s paranormal activity also feels under-baked and underwhelming to the point of undermining what works. That McGuire gets a bit too conservative with the horror encounters and body count leaves the flaws more exposed.
Night Swim will likely work better as an entry point into the genre for newcomers unfamiliar with more prominent haunted house horror movies like The Amityville Horror or The Shining. Condon’s fierce yet heartfelt performance and the underwater sequences keep Night Swim treading water. Still, the high concept novelty of a haunted swimming pool will wear out its welcome quickly for seasoned horror fans who’ve seen this scenario play out so many times before.
Night Swim releases in theaters on January 5, 2024.
The post ‘Night Swim’ Review – High Concept Swimming Pool Horror Movie Struggles to Stay Afloat appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.