Night Swim is a 2024 supernatural horror film about a family whose new backyard pool conceals a malevolent secret. Written and directed by Bryce McGuire, the PG-13 movie combines a haunted-pool premise with a family drama about illness, recovery, and the pressure of starting over.
Night Swim is a 2024 American supernatural horror film about a family whose new backyard swimming pool hides a malevolent secret. Written and directed by Bryce McGuire, the PG-13 movie turns an ordinary suburban amenity into the equivalent of a haunted house—while also using the family’s crisis to add an emotional layer beneath its scares.
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What is Night Swim about?
Former major-league baseball player Ray Waller is forced into early retirement because of a degenerative illness. Hoping to improve his condition and continue his recovery, Ray moves with his wife, Eve, teenage daughter Izzy, and young son Elliot into a new home with a backyard swimming pool.
At first, the pool seems to offer the family recreation and a possible form of physical therapy. But the property has a dark history, and the water becomes the source of a supernatural threat. The film’s central idea is simple but effective: what if the danger is not in the house, the woods, or an abandoned building, but in the pool your family uses every day?
#1 Best Overall
This is a fictional supernatural-horror story, not a film based on an unexplained real-world pool incident or a true story.
Cast and crew
- Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller
- Kerry Condon as Eve Waller
- Amélie Hoeferle as Izzy Waller
- Gavin Warren as Elliot Waller
Bryce McGuire wrote and directed the feature. James Wan and Jason Blum are among the producers publicly associated with the film. Universal Pictures distributed the movie, with Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster among the credited production entities.
Night Swim at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Release | January 5, 2024, in U.S. theaters |
| Director and writer | Bryce McGuire |
| Genre | Supernatural horror, mystery, thriller, and suspense |
| Rating | PG-13 for terror, some violent content, and language |
| Runtime | About 98–99 minutes; Universal’s home-entertainment listing gives 1 hour 39 minutes |
| Distributor | Universal Pictures |
From a short film to a feature
Night Swim expands a 2014 short film by Bryce McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. The short’s compact premise—an unsettling encounter involving a swimming pool—provided the foundation for the feature-length story.
Expanding a horror short into a roughly 100-minute film creates a particular challenge. A short can rely on a single startling image or unanswered question; a feature needs characters, escalation, mythology, and an emotional reason for the audience to remain invested. Night Swim addresses that challenge by placing the pool’s threat inside a family story about illness, athletic identity, financial and emotional pressure, and the hope that a new home might offer a fresh start.
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The film is presented as a standalone story. It is associated with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, but it is not part of The Conjuring, Insidious, or another established horror franchise.
Is Night Swim scary?
The film’s strongest horror advantage is its setting. Swimming pools are familiar, exposed, and usually associated with leisure, but they also become unnerving at night: visibility is limited, the water conceals what may be below the surface, and a swimmer can be isolated even in a suburban backyard.
That gives McGuire several natural sources of suspense without requiring the film to leave the property. The pool can be threatening when it is empty, when someone is swimming alone, or when the family believes it is helping Ray recover. The PG-13 rating means the movie is aimed at a broad horror audience rather than an extreme-gore crowd; its classification cites terror, some violent content, and language.
Whether the concept sustains a feature is the central question raised by the reviews. The premise is immediately understandable and distinctive, and the movie has some effective scare sequences. However, many critics felt that the story and pacing did not fully develop the haunted-pool idea over feature length.
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Critical and audience reception
Reception has been mixed to negative overall, although that does not mean the film was universally disliked. In the Rotten Tomatoes snapshot retrieved for this article, Night Swim had a 19% Tomatometer score from 181 critic reviews and a 42% audience score from more than 500 verified ratings. Those figures can change as the site adds or recalculates reviews.
The critics’ consensus emphasizes a promising setup and some solid scares, while arguing that the central premise struggles to support an entire feature. That is a useful summary of the film’s reception: viewers attracted to the haunted-pool hook may find enough atmosphere and genre appeal to make it worthwhile, while viewers expecting a more substantial mythology or consistently escalating story may be less satisfied.
Box-office performance
According to approximate figures reported by Box Office Mojo, Night Swim earned about $32.5 million domestically, $22.3 million internationally, and $54.8 million worldwide. Its reported U.S. and Canada opening was approximately $11.8 million. Box-office totals may be revised, and the figures refer to theatrical grosses rather than home-entertainment revenue.
Where to watch or own Night Swim
Universal Pictures At Home currently presents Night Swim as available to buy or rent digitally, and lists physical releases including a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Collector’s Edition and a DVD Collector’s Edition. A retailer listing observed through Prime Video also showed digital options and links or purchase options for DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. presentation.
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If you want a physical copy with multiple viewing formats, the Night Swim Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition is the most flexible choice. Readers who still use DVD players can instead look for the Night Swim DVD Collector’s Edition. Availability, regional access, inventory, and prices can change, so check the live retailer listing before buying.
For viewers who do not need a disc, look for the current option to rent Night Swim digitally or buy Night Swim digitally. A digital listing does not necessarily mean the film is included with a particular streaming subscription, and availability can differ by country and change over time.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you watch Night Swim?
Night Swim is a reasonable choice for viewers who like contained supernatural horror, family-centered genre stories, and high-concept premises built around ordinary places. The idea of a haunted pool is its clearest selling point, and the film’s connection to Ray’s illness gives the supernatural events a personal stake.
It may be a weaker match for viewers looking for severe horror, an intricate franchise mythology, or a story that develops its premise with the depth of a longer supernatural saga. Its short-film origins are visible in the strength of the central hook, while the divided critical response reflects the difficulty of expanding that hook into a full-length movie.
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This overview intentionally remains spoiler-light. It covers the setup, principal characters, production background, reception, and availability without explaining the pool’s full history, later revelations, or ending.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Night Swim based on a true story?
No. Night Swim is a fictional supernatural-horror film. It is based on a 2014 short film by Bryce McGuire and Rod Blackhurst, not on a documented real pool incident.
Who directed Night Swim?
Bryce McGuire wrote and directed Night Swim. The feature is based on the 2014 short film by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst.
What is Night Swim rated?
The film is rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content, and language.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →How long is Night Swim?
The official Universal home-entertainment listing gives the film a runtime of 1 hour 39 minutes. Some databases list approximately 1 hour 38 minutes, so about 98–99 minutes is the safest general description.
Where can I watch or buy Night Swim?
Universal lists digital rental and purchase options, Blu-ray and DVD releases, a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Collector’s Edition, and a DVD Collector’s Edition. Current prices and streaming or retailer availability depend on country, date, and service.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Night Swim is a PG-13 supernatural horror film with a memorable haunted-pool premise and a family drama about illness and recovery underneath it. Its concept and selected scares work better for many viewers than its feature-length story development, which helps explain the film’s divided audience response and low critics’ score.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
