Movies - Night Swim: Discover a featurette on January's horror thriller event

By Mulder, 26 december 2023

Atomic Monster, in collaboration with Blumhouse, two giants of the horror industry, are proud to present their latest nightmarish creation: Night Swim. Directed by Bryce McGuire, the film takes viewers into the depths of terror, cleverly exploiting a seemingly innocent swimming pool as a backdrop for supernatural suspense.

Based on the acclaimed 2014 short, Night Swim stars Wyatt Russell (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Overlord) as Ray Waller, a former professional baseball player forced into early retirement due to a degenerative disease. Alongside Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren and an exceptional cast, the film promises a thrilling horrific experience.

Night Swim not only explores the murky waters of a swimming pool, but also delves into the depths of the human soul. Director Bryce McGuire, inspired by '80s classics like Poltergeist and Simetierre, deftly blends retro aesthetics with contemporary supernatural terror.

"The pool is synonymous with social status, distraction, fun. It's attractive and sexy, and that's what makes it so dangerous. With its bright colors and turquoise water, it calls to us like a siren. But once in the water, when the lights go out, she suddenly seems abysmal. I also like to summon up shared childhood memories, such as touching the bottom drain, fishing out dead insects from the surface, getting your leg sucked into the cleaning hose, playing Marco Polo, to transform them into moments of terror," explains McGuire.

Night Swim features the Waller family, played by an exceptional cast including Russell, Condon, Hoeferle and Warren. McGuire's captivating script explores universal human desires at different stages of life, blending the search for happiness, health and security through a hauntingly horrific storyline.

Blumhouse producer Jason Blum comments, "The film is frightening and moving, captivating you while always keeping the question present: what would you do if this happened to you?"

The meticulous choice of sets, with an iconic swimming pool in Altadena, Southern California, provided a spectacular backdrop for the harrowing scenes. The production also hired experts in underwater photography to ensure an immersive visual experience.

"The film was shot 'wet for wet,' as opposed to 'dry for wet,' and this presented a major logistical challenge. You need water that's clear enough for good visibility, the right lights, a limited take time so as not to endanger the actors, and a whole bunch of other stuff you'd never have thought of before making a film called Night Swim," explains Bryce McGuire.

Night Swim has its roots in a 2014 short film of the same name by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. The success of the short caught the attention of Judson Scott, vice-president of Atomic Monster, and James Wan, director of acclaimed horror films such as Saw and Conjuring. Convinced of the director's potential, they decided to adapt Night Swim into a feature film.

Bryce McGuire also won over producers with his second short film, Every House Is Haunted (2023), which explores a house with a dark past. These successes cemented Atomic Monster and Blumhouse's confidence in McGuire as a promising new horror talent.

Following the resounding success of M3GAN, the first collaboration between Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, Night Swim promises to maintain the level of excellence expected from these two giants of the genre. Get ready to dive into the aquatic nightmare of Night Swim, scheduled for release in 2023.

Synopsis:
Ray Waller is a former American soccer player forced to give up his career due to a degenerative disease, when he moves into a new house with his family: his wife Eve, their daughter Izzy and their youngest son. Ray, against all odds, doesn't despair of resuming his career and persuades the whole family that the swimming pool in the garden will be perfect for his rehabilitation and for his children. But the house hides a dark past, and they unwittingly awaken a malevolent force that will plunge them all into the depths of absolute horror.

Night Swim
Written and directed by Bryce McGuire
Story by Bryce McGuire, Rod Blackhurst
Based on Night Swim by Bryce McGuire, Rod Blackhurst
Produced by James Wan, Jason Blum
Starring Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren
Cinematography : Charlie Sarroff
Edited by Jeff McEvoy
Music by Mark Korven
Production companies : Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date : January 5, 2024 (France), January 5, 2024 (United States)
Running time: 98 minutes