A new film available to stream in the UK has had the seal of approval from ‘master of horror’ Stephen King.
Night Swim, directed by Bryce McGuire, follows the story of Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell), a former baseball player forced into retirement by a degenerative illness who moves into a new house with his wife Eve (Kerry Condon) and children Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren).
His hope is that the swimming pool in the garden will be the perfect space for physical therapy, and great fun for the kids, but a dark secret from the home’s past unleashes a malevolent force in the pool.
Yes, this is a film about a haunted swimming pool.
And it’s now available to watch at home via a Now TV cinema and Sky Go subscription or to buy through Apple TV and Prime Video.
King – famed horror author behind The Shining, It, and Carrie – showered the film with praise after seeing it when it came to US streaming services, branding it ‘creepy’, despite getting the title slightly wrong.
He posted on X at the time: ‘I loved THE NIGHT SWIM (Amazon Prime). It’s like a lost, low-budget Steven Spielberg film from Spielberg’s early period…say, after DUEL but before JAWS. Simple story, but…the cat on the diving board! And those creepy bunny slippers!’
Viewers have been sharing their reactions after watching it on streaming – but the verdicts have been mixed with many loving the concept, but others criticising how ‘rushed’ it felt at points.
Pete Tonkin blasted the film, saying: ‘An average episode of Antiques Road Trip has more scares.’
Mike Franchina wrote on X: ‘Night Swim was pretty fun. kind of a great Stephen King ish setup, but fell apart with some of the reveals.
‘Also I can’t believe they didn’t use the DyE- Fantasy song in the soundtrack, gotta be on of the top night swimming videos.’
However, Sean Kenny posted: ‘I legitimately believe I could have filmed a more suspenseful movie than Night Swim with just a cell phone. Who greenlit this.’
5ulissa added: ‘watched Night Swim.. I gotta say very interesting good plot.. BUT they literally didn’t give much backstory felt like to was rushed and the plot was moving too fast.’
Orchid Chamblee said: ‘The jump scares in #nightswim are good some unexpected. I feel this film is getting back to horror being more about fear in our subconscious mind…more thoughtful and symbolic.’
The film currently holds a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, with MovieFreak.com writing: ‘There comes a point where it almost feels as if McGuire was making it up as he went along. So little of this thriller makes sense that it’s impossible for it to generate a lasting emotional impact.’
Bloody Disgusting added: ‘Condon’s fierce yet heartfelt performance and the underwater sequences keep Night Swim treading water, but the high concept novelty wears out its welcome quickly for seasoned horror fans who’ve seen this scenario play out so many times before.’
However, Empire wrote: ‘Last-act let-down aside, this is a confident and creepy ghoul-in-the-pool horror that makes Bryce McGuire a filmmaker to watch. Wusses, bring armbands.’
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