I think the hardest hurdle I face with movie reviews is that the concepts in more horror movies aren’t new or groundbreaking, but there’s always hope the story doesn’t get lost when translated from text to live action.
I know that’s something I always hope for when I’m watching a movie based on true events or a well-written and loved novel.
However, “Night Swim” has none of that background to tether it to the pop culture ether and the concept has been done better by other filming companies.
A haunted swimming pool seems like an easy sort of slam-dunk, but this iteration flops and trips over itself.
Night Swim is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Bryce McGuire (in his feature directorial debut), and based on the 2014 short film of the same name by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst.
The film stars Wyatt Russell, Gavin Warren, Amélie Hoeferlem, Kerry Condon, Jodi Long, Eddie Martinez, Joziah Lagonoy, Elijah Roberts, and Ayazhan Dalabayeva.
Clocking in at 98 minutes long, the movie is rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content, and language.
In 1992, a young girl goes out to her family pool one night to retrieve a toy boat belonging to her terminally ill brother Tommy (Lagonoy).
While trying to get the boat, something in the pool pulls her underwater and drowns her.
In the present day, the Waller family - Ray (Russell), Eve (Condon), and children Izzy (Hoeferle) and Elliot (Warren) are seeking a new, permanent residence after Ray has been forced to retire from his baseball career due to illness.
They purchase the former residence of the Fuller family, but Ray scratches his hand while working to clear out the pool in the backyard.
When the pool maintenance comes to inspect it, they reveal that the pool is essentially self-sustaining, taking its water from an underground spring in the area.
As he spends more time in the pool as part of his therapy, Ray’s illness seems to go into remission.
However, Eve becomes concerned at the changes she sees in her husband.
Izzy and Elliot each get attacked by something in the pool, and the family cat goes missing.
However, Izzy sees the strain that moving around has put on her mother coupled with her father’s illness, and tells her brother not to make a big deal of it.
However, as the pool seems to be healing Ray, it’s also making some changes in his personality and he’s still struggling to let go of his baseball glory days – even pushing to help Elliot at his little league practice to help him make friends.
In the meantime, Izzy has joined the school swim team and is sneaking around like a typical teenager when she’s flirting with fellow teammate Ronin (Roberts).
During a pool party, their realtor tells Eve about the Fullers’ daughter Rebecca (Dalabayeva) drowning in the pool shortly before Ray seemingly forces a child underwater and almost drowns himself at the same time.
Still, the movie gets a bit weirder and unnerving from there – however, I would have liked more background on the pool and other lives it had taken.
The plot is weak, the ending abrupt and there was so much more room left to flesh this out as something worthwhile.
I can’t say I’m surprised it’s tanked at the box office and can safely say don’t waste your time watching it.
