The Secrets Beneath the Surface

“Night Swim” Movie Review

Photo by Amadej Tauses on Unsplash

It’s the summer of 1992. Young and innocent Rebecca Summers mysteriously gets swallowed by her pool while trying to retrieve a silly toy boat late at night. Flash Forward 15 years, a new family moves into the same home eager to use the pool that has been neglected for years. 

“Night Swim,” released on Jan. 5, follows the Waller family’s move into a seemingly normal house with a haunted pool. Former baseball player Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell) was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis that urges the family of four to settle down. However, the pool’s dark secret soon reveals itself and forces the family to confront the terror that remains unseen through the deep water. Over the course of the movie, the plot, acting and scare factor all contribute to the movie’s success, as the new horror film fills the movie theater with gasps and screams from viewers all around. 

The plot of “Night Swim” is exceedingly interesting and unfolds a captivating narrative as the family tries to navigate all the challenges of the pool. The supposedly harmless pool first shows signs of hope for R. Waller as his condition seems to be improving since using the pool. However, the freak incidents that soon follow quickly outweigh the benefits as violent attacks reach his wife, Eve (Kerry Condon), and two kids Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren) Waller. Despite the recent outbreaks, R. Waller continues to be optimistic as his character soon undergoes serious, dangerous and possessive changes. Nonetheless, the plot was a little hard to follow occasionally, making the movie slightly confusing for the audience. 

Apart from the plot, the acting in “Night Swim” was decent at most. Throughout the movie, a few senses caught the viewer’s attention, but otherwise, it wasn’t anything to rave about. While it was amusing to see the family fight back the evilness that lies beneath the surface, as the story evolves, the acting somewhat begins to crumble. When the family members, other than the father, start to suspect that the pool is cursed, the scenes that follow become a little predictive and drag on and on. On the other hand, while all of this is going on, R. Waller cannot stop expressing his gratitude for the pool, and his acting seems a bit cheesy. It’s not until strange or demonic creatures pass the screen that the audience gets pulled back into the storyline. 

Other than the average acting, the eerie aspect of the film is where things start to unravel. Although advertised as a horror movie, the spine-chilling scares come more from the fascinating family history. The lack of jump scares, although a few do pop up, could be the element that makes or breaks the film for audience members. The frightening flick dives deeply into violent and creepy secrets that ultimately divide the family, which result in some considerably alarming sequences that will leave fans shocked. Depending on what an individual prefers, this movie could take the prize if one is not into sudden scares. 

“Night Swim” provides the audience with a meaningful message the now rattled family of three must live by to re-shape their life that was mysteriously flipped upside down. The plot, acting and horror elements really tie the movie all together and make viewers wonder how far they will go for the ones they love.

<Star Rating>

Plot: ★★★★☆

Acting: ★★★☆☆

Scare factor: ★★★★☆