Blu-ray Review: NIGHT SWIM

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Apr 07 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) is a former third baseman for the Brewers, who was forced to retire when he was diagnosed with MS. As his symptoms get worse, he and his family—wife Eve (Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin), and teenagers Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) & Elliot (Gavin Warren, Fear the Walking Dead)—move into their new suburban home, with a backyard pool that Wyatt can use for his doctor-prescribed water therapy. The spring-fed pool is said to have natural healing powers, and Ray starts to notice this almost immediately. While he had always hoped to be able to return to the major leagues, that dream seemed like an impossibility, until now. He goes swimming twice a day, and has never felt better.

However, the other family members have each experienced something strange and sinister while in the pool, seeing/hearing someone or something on the surface while they are underwater, only to peer out of the water and see no one there. It’s even worse when they see/hear scary things that can’t be explained, or feel some kind of force dragging them down into the water. Sometimes the pool lights flicker at night, giving them an even more terrorizing experience. It’s almost like there is some supernatural force inside the pool that is trying to lure them into its depths. While Ray seems content to ignore what is happening due to his improved condition, Eve starts to delve into the history of the home, and discovers an unsettling story about a young girl who died in the pool nearly 30 years earlier under mysterious circumstances. Is the pool haunted, and if so, what does it want?! Will one of the Wallers become its next victim?!

Night Swim comes from first-time director/writer Bryce McGuire, and the powerhouse horror production duo James Wan (Atomic Monster) & Jason Blum (Blumhouse). Wan’s films often have a bit of a supernatural slant to them, and this one does to. In the cold open, set in the Summer of 1992, we see how the pool lures and claims its victims, before switching to modern day, and the usual horror trope of the unsuspecting family moving into the haunted house…or in this case haunted pool. The filmmakers do a nice job of slowly building the tension, and much like in Jaws, we often see things from the perspective of whatever lurks in the water as it watches and stalks its prey. There are several fun jump scares to get the blood pumping, and while there are supernatural elements at work, the film also deploys some excellent (and creepy) practical effects along with the digital effects to bring the horror to life. In the bonus material, the filmmakers talk about wanting this film to make people scared to go into a pool, like Jaws did with the ocean, and I think it is successful in this regard. There is a wonderful sequence where a fun game of Marco Polo turns into a terrifying situation. No time is safe—strange things happen in the pool both during the sunny daytime as well as at night, and the filmmakers are able to keep up the tension in both scenarios. You are constantly dreading that something horrible is going to happen to members of this family. The film’s final act may be a bit divisive, but I thought it actually worked both from a story and character arc perspective, and provided a pretty solid conclusion.

Wyatt Russell is perfectly cast as this loving family man who sees his body betraying him, but as Ray spends time in the pool, it starts to change him. It may be healing his body, but it’s having the opposite effect on his personality, awaking an obsession to obtain his dream of returning to the major leagues, causing him to spend less time with his son, and become more unhinged. Russell also really delivers un this more evil, angry version of the character. Kerry Condon is also great as the loving, protective mother who takes charge when she starts to discover what’s really going on. Eve is determined to save her family from whatever evil force is lurking in that pool. The two teen actors also felt like they could really be siblings, with their characters’ bickering and derogatory nicknames for one another, and how, when in danger, the siblings always have one another’s backs.

Universal has released Night Swim on Blu-ray and DVD, and it is also available in 4K via digital. We received the Blu-ray release for review, and found the presentation to be quite solid. The picture is clean and crisp, with an excellent level of detail both during the darker nighttime sequences as well as when the Wallers use the pool during the daytime. The film often deploys a blue color palette to subconsciously evoke thoughts of the water and the pool, and this leads to some beautiful shots. There are also some flashbacks or dream sequences that take on more of a wavy, stylized look, to emulate the ripple of water. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a fully immersive experience, especially as things happen to the characters underwater. Often cuts are hard and abrupt with a sudden change of audio—the director mentions in his commentary that this is intentional to evoke the feeling of suddenly breaking through to the surface of the water.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs reside on either side of a standard HD keepcase, along with an embossed carboard slipcover, and an insert containing a code to redeem for an HD MA digital copy of the film. The bonus material consists of about 24 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew, as well as a director commentary track. While I enjoyed this bonus material, the director often mentions the original short film the movie was based on—I wish they had found a way to include that on the disc.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:21)

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 6/30/2025):

HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

Masters of Fear (6:45)
The cast and crew discuss working with horror legends Jason Blum and James Wan, how the project came about, the types of films they like to make, the cast, working with the first-time director, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer Bryce McGuire, stars Wyatt Russell (“Ray Waller”) & Kerry Condon (“Eve Waller”), executive producers Judson Scott & Ryan Turek, and producers James Wan & Jason Blum.
Demons From the Depths (7:16)
The cast and crew discuss the film’s supernatural creatures and bringing them to life with practical effects, the challenges of shooting in water, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer Bryce McGuire, executive producers Judson Scott & Ryan Turek, makeup effects designer Justin Raleigh, producer James Wan, co-producer/first assistant director James Moran, 2nd 2nd assistance director Esraa Darwish, co-heads of makeup effect department Ozzy Alvarez & Kelsey Berk, and stars Wyatt Russell, Michael Avery (“Bloated Man”), Gavin Warren (“Elliot Waller”) & Liz Parkinson (“Bony Woman”).
Into the Deep (5;50)
The cast and crew discuss the premise of the film, playing on people’s universal fears of water, planning and shooting the underwater work, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers James Wan & Jason Blum, director/writer Bryce McGuire, executive producers Ryan Turek & Judson Scott, co-producer/first assistant director James Moran, underwater director of photography/camera operator Ian S. Takahashi, and stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon & Amélie Hoeferle (“Izzy Waller”).
Marco Polo (4:04)
The filmmakers discuss their lofty attempt do for swimming pools what Jaws did for the ocean, starting with turning the fun game of Marco Polo into a nightmare. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers James Wan, director/writer Bryce McGuire, executive producer Judson Scott & Ryan Turek, co-producer/first assistant director James Moran, and star Amélie Hoeferle.
Feature Commentary (1:38:21)
Co-writer/director Bryce McGuire provides an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. He talks about his inspirations, the cast, the story, the camera technology, effects, making the pool a character, and much more. He shares some interesting stories about how the film evolved, points out lots of hidden details, and shares some fun stories about the production.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

I found Night Swim to be a pretty solid thriller from the folks at Blumhouse and Atomic Monster. It takes elements of a haunted house story and transforms them into the first haunted pool movie. The film does a nice job building the tension and horror and making the audience jump, while slowly revealing the true nature of how this pool is haunted. And the characters feel well-developed and multi-dimensional. With the summer pool season coming up, you may think twice about taking that nighttime swim…and you’ll certainly think differently the next time someone asks you to play Marco Polo! Universal’s Blu-ray release features solid picture and sound, and a nice selection of behind-the-scenes bonus material. For those who wish to check out the film before a blind buy, it’s currently streaming on Peacock.