“Night Swim” is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed and produced by Bryce McGuire, James Wan and Jason Blum, loosely based on Rod Blackhurst’s 2014 short film. It stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amelie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren as members of a family who discover their backyard swimming pool is haunted.

• Release date: January 5, 2024
• Running time: 100 minutes
• MPAA rating: PG-13
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Production companies: Atomic Monster Productions, Blumhouse Productions
• Director: Bryce McGuire
• Writers: Bryce McGuire, Rod Blackhurst

Cast:

• Wyatt Russell as Ray
• Kerry Condon as Eve
• Amélie Hoeferle as Holly
• Gavin Warren as Kyle
• Alex Hyde-White as Sheriff Randolph

Characters:

• Ray: A former baseball player who is struggling with his career and his family’s move to a new town. He is haunted by a dark secret from his past.
• Eve: Ray’s wife, who is trying to hold her family together as they adjust to their new life. She is also struggling with her own personal demons.
• Holly: Ray and Eve’s daughter, who is struggling to make friends at her new school. She is also dealing with strange occurrences at her new home.
• Kyle: Ray and Eve’s son, who is also struggling with the move. He is withdrawn and secretive.
• Sheriff Randolph: The local sheriff, who is investigating a series of strange events in the town.

Plot

This film follows Ray (Russell), a recently retired baseball player who moves his family into a quiet suburban house with an idyllic backyard swimming pool that provides him with the ideal place to rehab his injured shoulder. However, as soon as they begin using it for rehabilitation purposes, they soon come to realize it may not be as ideal as expected.

While swimming in his pool one night, Ray experienced an odd encounter. He noticed a shadowy figure lurking within its depths – which he initially dismissed as nothing more than an optical illusion, but it reappeared to him each night!

Eve (Condon), Ray’s wife, becomes concerned over his increasingly odd behaviour. Attempts are made to convince him there’s nothing amiss with their pool, yet Ray remains convinced it’s haunted.

Ray’s growing fascination with the pool devastates his family: Emily (Hoeferle) becomes distant and fearful, while Tommy (Warren) begins acting out violently.

Ray is determined to find out what lies beneath the pool, and discovers an alarming secret buried for decades within it. He begins researching his home’s history – only to unearth another one hidden for so long!

Ray must fight against the pool’s evil before it devours them all. With help from his family, Ray must thwart its attempts at taking over his home.

Production

James Wan and Jason Blum, best known for the Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring franchises, respectively, collaborated on Night Swim as producers. Shot entirely in New York and Los Angeles.

Release

Night Swim premiered in the United States on January 5, 2024, and quickly became both critical and commercial success, grossing over $100 million at box offices worldwide.

Critical Reception

Night Swim earned praise for its suspenseful atmosphere, effective use of horror tropes, and outstanding performances by cast members such as Russell as Ray; specifically, they lauded Russell’s portrayal as someone dealing with physical limitations and mental decline.

Box Office

Night Swim was an international box office success, netting over $100 million worldwide and boasting an opening weekend earnings total of over $30 million.

Conclusion

Night Swim is an impressive horror film that will satisfy fans of the genre. The film’s suspenseful atmosphere, effective use of horror tropes and strong performances make it a must-watch for fans of scary movies.