Do you remember last January kaunsi horror movie aayi thi? M3GAN. And do you remember the wave it brought along? Sab pagal hi hogaye the bhaisahab. Usi reaction ko replicate karne ki koshish karte hue, Blumhouse is back with another January horror movie “Night Swim”. And let’s be honest, it is nowhere close to M3GAN. Just guess what is the sinister villain in the movie? The pool. Yes, the pool. The pool EATS people. The movie is a mix of horror and sarcastic humour, and while it works initially, it ultimately falls prey to the age-old cliches of horror movies ending up in another unsatisfying watch. Someone badly needs to reinvent the horror genre fr.
Plot
So we have Ray Waller, a former basketball star who has to retire achanak se cuz he’s suffering from multiple sclerosis. To get away from the grief of this sudden heartbreak, the Waller family moves to a suburban house to get some peace. The house seems ekdum normal, ekdum perfect for some good family time. Par jab Blumhouse producer ho kisi movie ki, toh sab normal kaise ho sakta hai? As the family settles in, they realize their new pool harbors a sinister secret: the pool’s appetite for humans. Bass phir kya, shuru hota hai khel- ‘ek insaan, paani mein gaya, chapaak, do insaan- do insaan, paani mein gaye- paani mein gaye, chapaak- chapaak…’
Performances
For a horror movie, the cast performances are satisfactory. Wyatt Russell impresses as Ray Waller, the guy brings a good balance of sincerity and absurdity to the character. Really loved his dialogue delivery when the movie wanted him to be intentionally funny. Kerry Condon as the desperate mother wanting thodi si sukh-shaanti amidst the chaos is top-notch as well. Amélie Hoeferle is decent as the daughter but her character felt so dumb in that pool scene with her crush. But baaki saare cast members are just there tbh, they have little to no impact on the story. Overall it’s all okayish.
Direction and Writing
This was Bryce McGuire’s directorial debut, and he did a decent job tbf. Bro mixed horror and humour and tried his best to make it entertaining. McGuire used dark comedy to navigate this weird AF premise and that led to a lot of uneasy moments (the only instances where the movie shines tbh). However, the funniest part has got to be the history of the pool, and how it became ‘demonic.’ Idk if it was meant to be hilarious, but it really worked in favour of the movie. But, you know how horror movies end up. Being predictable and borderline silly. That’s exactly the case with this one too, sigh.
Screenplay and Cinematography
Night Swim” can be both creepy and funny at the same time thanks to McGuire’s clever writing. The story deals with suburban chills, family ties, and the temptation of forbidden wants (smirk smirk), even though there are some plot holes here and there. With upside-down shots and a dark atmospheric vibe, the cinematographer successfully shows ki ab insaan shaanti se, pyaar se, peacefully ek suburban area mein bhi nahi reh sakta. They look so peaceful during the day, but raat hote hi, well… The movie is beautifully shot, but wahi ghise pite jumpscares result in big turn-offs and take you away from the story.
All in all, it is a decent movie. I mean, the way McGuire balances humour and horror is vv fun, but it falls for the age-old tropes of the genre, offering hardly anything original. Dekh sakte ho if you’re craving a chilly winter night horror movie, but I’d say don’t expect a lot. Meh, I’m unsatisfied.
