IMG via Universal Pictures
Over the past decade, Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster have emerged as two of the most influential and prolific production houses in contemporary horror cinema. Independently, each of these entities has nurtured distinctive voices within the genre, contributing to years of success with noteworthy films such as “Insidious,” “The Conjuring” series, “Halloween,” “M3GAN,” and even the recent “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” The collaboration on the new film “Night Swim” and the subsequent announcement of a full-fledged merger on the eve of its release seems to signify a significant move. One might assume that they view “Night Swim” as a representation of the type of collaborative work they aim to produce in the future.
However, this optimism might be misplaced. “Night Swim” disappoints as a film, offering a diluted version of the distinctive styles for which Blum and Wan’s studios have been renowned. The movie comes across as dull, repetitive, and often incoherent.
TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT “NIGHT SWIM”
5. Weak Spot: Studio Mad Libs
“Night Swim” gives off the impression that it was pieced together using a Mad Libs-esque template, resulting in a final product that comes across as unbearably formulaic and trite. Drawing overt influence from classical works in the genre, such as “Poltergeist” and “Amityville Horror,” and filtering them through the distinctive styles of Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, the film ends up feeling like a rote recitation of standard horror beats.
The structure might as well be: ‘A family moves into a new home after *insert tragedy here* (the father is diagnosed with MS and has to give up his baseball career). They begin to notice something amiss with the *insert haunted item here* (pool). The paranormal forces taunt the family with a *insert children’s toy here* (toy boat) and bastardize *insert would-be innocent family-friendly song here* (“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”) for nefarious, creepy purposes. The family plays *insert a game that requires them to close their eyes* (Marco Polo), and haunted hijinks ensue. At the end of the second act, the family seeks guidance from *insert an older character with a feasible ability to dump exposition on the characters about said paranormal entities and also be completely unhelpful and creepy* (the mother of the former family) to no avail.’
And so it goes, on and on until the runtime gives out, with “Night Swim” essentially just acting as an uninspired run-through of the modern horror genre’s least effective tropes.
4. Admirable Effort in Performances
If there’s a commendable aspect to highlight, it’s the effort put forth by the performers. Wyatt Russell exudes charm as the affable Dad in the initial act, and his enthusiastic embrace of a full “Amityville” persona in the third act adds a touch of enjoyment. Kerry Condon delivers an excellent performance as the family’s matriarch, infusing the character with a subtle and restrained weariness that surprisingly resonates well within the narrative.
The standout scene in the entire movie, for me, is a sincere and open-hearted conversation between Kerry Condon’s character and her daughter, portrayed by Amélie Hoeferle, centered around the theme of fear. Despite certain parts of writer/director Bryce McGuire’s script not quite hitting the mark (there’s an excessive amount of philosophical musings about water from secondary characters), this particular instance showcases McGuire’s writing at its best — sharp and impactful. The performances, especially from Condon and Hoeferle, elevate the scene to a moment of authentic emotion, providing a genuine touch amidst the murky narrative waters of “Night Swim.”
3. Weak Spot: Repetitive Setpieces
Regarding writer/director Bryce McGuire, “Night Swim” is his feature film debut and an adaptation of a short film he created a decade ago. Interestingly, this background information aligns with the perception that the movie suffers from being excessively prolonged, surpassing the narrative capacity of its storyline. The film’s sense of being drawn out beyond its thematic substance appears to resonate because it originated from a shorter format, possibly resulting in pacing and structural challenges in the feature-length adaptation.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that “Night Swim” unveils its entire hand in the opening sequence. The flickering pool light, a person being dragged into the pool, spectral figures wandering, and the illusion of loved ones’ appearances — every narrative trick the film has is laid out in the initial two minutes, preceding even the appearance of the title card. Subsequently, these elements are recycled throughout the next hour-and-a-half, yielding increasingly watered-down and uninspiring results. The repetition of these narrative devices becomes, in essence, a mind-numbing experience for the audience.
2. Weak Spot: A Story Stretched Thin
While the film becomes visually monotonous, it concurrently becomes more intricately tangled in its narrative complexities.
“Night Swim” explores the haunting of a pool, its supernatural origins rooted in old-religion-esque spring waters. This haunted pool possesses the ability to both heal and harm individuals due to the presence of ghosts. The narrative takes a twist as the pool selects a person to grant a wish, yet concurrently, it ensnares and possesses them. Adding to the complexity, there’s a vague suggestion of time-traveling capabilities, manifested through the ghosts predicting characters’ future attire and providing Wyatt Russell’s character with a broken baseball in the first act, only for him to seemingly recreate it by breaking a baseball in the second act.
This intricate web of plot elements, with its time-traveling nuances and intertwined story threads, renders the movie needlessly complicated and convoluted for a tale centered around a haunted pool. The quest for feature-length adaptation appears to have sacrificed directness and simplicity, leaving behind a meandering and incoherent narrative that gives the impression even the movie itself struggles to comprehend its own storyline.
1. Weak Spot: A Total Lack of Suspense
All other flaws in the film could have been overlooked if it had successfully embraced a cinema-of-attraction-style horror and suspense. However, “Night Swim” distinctly falls short in this aspect, which is perplexing given the numerous opportunities it had to achieve this effectively.
The film frequently presents wide shots of individuals swimming alone in the pool, offering ample chances to create suspense by providing clear visual indications that something ominous lurks beneath the surface—following Alfred Hitchcock’s principle of giving the audience information the character lacks. Unfortunately, “Night Swim” opts for predictable and ineffective shock tactics, relying on uninspired editing and blunt musical stingers.
Moreover, a more coherent narrative about the pool—explaining its nature, capabilities, and inhabitants—could have enhanced the overall experience. As it stands, the film lacks visual interest in generating suspense and struggles with narrative uncertainty, preventing the audience from feeling confident in their understanding of the pool and its supernatural abilities.
RGM GRADE
(D-)
Regrettably, “Night Swim” finds itself in a state of disrepair. Its chlorination levels are off-kilter, it lacks a vigilant lifeguard on duty, and so on.
I genuinely believe that each team member could have produced far superior work and will likely excel in future endeavors. I’m particularly intrigued to witness Bryce McGuire’s next film when he’s not confined to the challenge of expanding a decade-old short film into a feature-length project. The collaboration between Blumhouse and Atomic Monster holds promise for compelling future endeavors, but, unfortunately, “Night Swim” doesn’t quite hit the mark.
However, it’s not all negative, as the film did gift us the instantly iconic line: “there’s something wrong with that pool!” And indeed, there is something profoundly amiss with that pool.
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