NIGHT SWIM – “Sadly, this ghoul in the pool flick is tepid at best”

ns

RATING

DIRECTOR

Directed by: Bryce McGuire (Feature directorial debut)

MAIN CAST

Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller
Kerry Condon as Eve Waller
Amélie Hoeferle as Izzy Waller
Gavin Warren as Elliot Waller

SYNOPSIS

Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.

REVIEW SUMMARY

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a haunted pool movie? Well, sadly, this ghoul in the pool flick is tepid at best. My main issue is that the filmmakers took it much too seriously, not playing up the camp factor nearly enough. I get that they were going for genuine frights, but with the silly high-concept premise, they should have known it needed a lighter touch. Just look at the excellent balance done in last year’s M3GAN, for example.Alas, the film just treads water for its 90-minute runtime (although it felt much, much longer). The cast does deserve some kudos for doing their best with the poorly written dialogue and overall script. And hey, there are some surprisingly interesting underwater shots here. Who knew a movie called Night Swim would get major points for cinematography? As for the frights, well, they are as unremarkably jumpy as you might expect. And don’t get me started on all the plot holes and questionable character motivations. Heck, there’s enough of those to, well, fill an abandoned swimming pool!

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