Night Swim

The first major release of 2024 has arrived in the form of “Night Swim” and the Blumhouse production looks to follow on the success of “M3gan” and their other recent hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s”. The movie stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as Ray and Eve Walter; a married couple trying to raise their two children and deal with Ray’s M.S. diagnosis. Ray is a former Major League Baseball player and holds out hope that he can overcome his situation and make a return to his profession even if those around him do not. A life on the road has caused Ray to miss many events such as the birth of their daughter as well as be distant from their son. A new job at a prestigious school offers Eve a chance to have the needed insurance for Ray and work to do while she completes her degree. The family opt to purchase a home with a pool versus renting as the ability to finally have some stability and use the pool for therapy is a welcome combination. This is enhanced by the discovery that the pool is actually filled by a natural water source which Ray believes is healing him and rapidly putting him on the road to recovery. Things are not as they seem as the pool holds some dark and deadly secrets that go back for decades and the family soon finds themselves dealing with forces beyond their control as they desperately try to survive. The film has an interesting premise though at times I did think about various other films and some of the shock moments failed to get me as they did others in the audience but I am not one who startles easily. The cast was strong but at times I found myself not caring as much for the outcomes of certain characters as I was more concerned with the overall explanation behind the supernatural elements of the film. Despite this, it was an enjoyable watch that provided something a bit different than the usual monster or psycho on the loose horror film and Co-Writer/ Director Bryce McGuire has adapted his short film well into a film which provides just enough of what the core audience wants to make it an effective horror entry. 3 stars out of 5

Wyatt Russell is former baseball star "Ray" who has been diagnosed with MS and is now looking for a home for his wife and two children that he can more readily navigate. They alight on a rather run-down property that has a large swimming pool and that's that! In they move and after having had some fairly toxic looking gloop removed from the pipework, discover that it is fed directly from an aquifer and could contain minerals to help his treatment. Boy, does it help! After a few swims his health is improving no end, but his family start to believe that the water is the source of some wickedness. They each experience a malevolence that drives his wife "Eve" (Kerry Condon) to track down the previous owner who eventually and rather menacingly confirms what she has already discovered on Google! It appears that this pool has a benevolence but in return requires an horrific sacrifice - whether you agree it's term or not! It's quite a well paced little horror film, this, with no attempt to create much by way of special effects. The audio, flickering lighting and the frequently murky water do all of the heavy lifting as we gradually realise what's going on. The acting isn't really up to much, nor is the standard of the writing, but I still found it at the slightly more threatening end of the Blumhouse scale of scary stories. It will work better in a big dark cinema - on television it will be completely unremarkable.

A passable supernatural horror. I had a fine time viewing <em>'Night Swim'</em>. It brings nothing new to the genre and takes plenty from other productions, though it honestly flew by for me and I enjoyed the horror elements alongside some solid onscreen performers. It does feel like it's missing something, I admittedly can't put my finger on exactly what, but that thought doesn't hinder how I see the flick post-watch. Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon are good in the lead roles, the latter is the stronger but well cast they both are. Younger cast members Amélie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren are decent, as are those supporting behind the main four. They appear in some solid scenes, which kept me interested in what I was watching - and with a run time of roughly 90 minutes, I was never bored of the portrayed events. It isn't anything truly memorable, though I'd happily rewatch it if needed. Or perhaps I have bad taste, who's to say?