Night Swim

January 4th, 2024

MOVIE: NIGHT SWIM

STARRING: WYATT RUSSELL, KERRY CONDON, AMÉLIE HOEFERLE, GAVIN WARREN

DIRECTED BY: BRYCE MCGUIRE

AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)

January is often a dumping ground for movies that can float around while audiences catch up on awards season viewings. We were blessed last year with M3gan, the killer robot movie, which had a perfect blend of dark humor and the terrors of a killer AI doll. This year we are not so lucky. Night Swim was originally made as a short film by director/writer Bryce McGuire in 2014 and now it is getting the feature-length treatment. Although the horrors of dark water can be scary, this Night Swim fails to make a splash, and audiences would be wise to stay out of the water.

The plot itself is stretched too thin. The Waller family is looking for a fresh start. Father Ray (Wyatt Russell) was once a star third-baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers but has been diagnosed with 2nd-stage MS, and now his body is constantly failing him. His wife Eve (Kerry Condon) has been supportive, along with their two children Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren), frustrated by the prospects of a new school. In their search, they find a beautiful home for sale and this one has a pool in the backyard. The problem is that the pool might be haunted, after repeated moments of the water nearly drowning someone or waterlogged demons appearing out of nowhere. Something’s up, but this new home has been good for everyone, especially Ray.

As the family discovers their pool is haunted and bad stuff happens, Night Swim is often a boring slog. Oddly enough, it is the backstory of this cursed swimming pool that may have been a better place for McGuire to start. Similar to The Ring, there is a bit of intrigue when the story veers into Eve searching to find out the history of the home. When things build to the scary moments, such as the daughter playing Marco Polo in the pool or when the ghost of a girl speaks to the son, the result of terror is lacking. On top of it not being scary, many of the characters act moronic, unable to grab things in the pool, and unable to talk about the awful things that happen, in a script that has them continue to do dumb things.

There have been plenty of films in the past that have worked with haunted homes or a place where dwellers are impacted by an evil presence. The Amityville Horror was about a family trapped, unable to escape their terrorizing domicile. Burnt Offerings is about a house that sends every family member into madness and also includes a beautifully bonkers ending. Night Swim, however, offers none of that, along with an easy answer to the suffering by just staying out of the pool.

In the final act of Night Swim, some revelations would have made for a more interesting film but at that point, it’s too late. The story, the jump scares, and the acting have all drowned. Some parts are unintentionally funny and other parts are painfully boring. Both performances by Russell and Condon feel like two people treading water before they are submerged in a meandering brand of PG-13 horror. Night Swim is another January belly flop.

NIGHT SWIM IS IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY JANUARY 5TH, 2024.

2 STARS

Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com