“I used to be scared of pools,” announces Eve Waller (Kerry Condon) early on in director Bryce McGuire’s feature-length take on his own 2014 short. Well, judging by this lame horror, there really is nothing to be frightened of – unless the sight of inflatables, pool noodles, and manky leaves gives you the willies. Despite credible backing – from horror kings Jason Blum and James Wan – Night Swim is about as atmosphere-free as you can get.
After a scene-setting prologue, Eve and her husband Ray (Wyatt Russell) are seen looking for a new home, together with kids Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren). A former baseball star, Ray has a serious illness and needs recovery time; when the family discovers a suburban home with an outdoor pool, it seems the perfect bolthole. But when Ray falls into the pool unexpectedly, it’s more serious than he realises: a malevolent force is lurking in the depths…
Trouble is, the filmmakers don’t really seem to know what it is. Could the water be possessed? Does it heal? Are there demons beneath the surface? Why is sacrifice so important? All of these questions surface, only to be unsatisfactorily answered by the increasingly nonsensical script. And crucially, the film just isn’t scary. Even the obligatory unsuspecting-teens-in-the-pool scene doesn’t raise the pulse.
Both appealing actors, Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) are game for the ride, but are left with precious little to work with by this muddled mess. A film that sinks like a stone.
Night Swim is released in US and UK cinemas on January 5.
