New Supernatural Thriller 'Night Swim' Hits Theaters in January 2024

Unique Points

• Night Swim is a supernatural thriller about a ghost-plagued pool.
• The film marks the year 2019's first nationwide release and targets an opening estimate of $9 million to $11 million from 3,200 North American theaters.
• It won't face competition on the horror front until March’s haunted-teddy-bear-inspired Imaginary.
• The film is written and directed by Bryce McGuire and starring Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon.
• Reviews rarely correlate to ticket sales with horror, which is good because Variety's chief film critic Owen Gleiberman criticized Night Swim as too familiar and derivative.
• January tends to be a box office dead zone, and 2024 may ignite at an especially glacial pace due to the holiday season lacking the kind of four-quadrant blockbuster that not only pops in December but keeps selling tickets well into the new year.
• Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom was positioned to be that potential billion-dollar Christmastime tentpole, but it is already sinking in theaters.
• Wonka reclaimed the No. 1 spot over the New Year's holiday weekend with $22.4 million.
• Night Swim could retain the top spot unless it beats expectations and becomes a four-quadrant blockbuster that not only pops in December but keeps selling tickets well into the new year.
• Holiday holdovers like Universal and Illumination's animated Migration and Warner Bros.'s musical adaptation of The Color Purple will round out North American box office charts.
• Night Swim is the first release from Jason Blum's Blumhouse and James Wan's Atomic Monster since they officially merged on Jan. 2.
• Jason Blum is the mastermind behind Five Nights at Freddy's, Halloween, Paranormal Activity, and The Purge.
• James Wan is the creative force of The Conjuring and Saw series.

Accuracy

• Night Swim is a horror film directed by Bryce McGuire
• The movie was released in January 2013 and received mixed reviews.
• Kerry Condon plays the lead character, a woman struggling to understand why her new pool is causing chaos in her family's life.
• Wyatt Russell also stars as Condon's husband who becomes obsessed with the pool and turns into Jack Torrance-like character.
• The movie was based on a one-scene 2014 short called 'Pool Evil'.
• Night Swim is reminiscent of failed J-horror remakes like One Missed Call, Pulse or Shutter.

Deception (30%)

• The article states that Night Swim will be competing with Wonka for the top spot at the box office. However, this information contradicts itself as it also mentions that Night Swim won't face competition on the horror front until March and there is no mention of any other film being released in January or February which would affect its box office performance.
• The article states that Night Swim is targeting a debut of $9 million to $11 million from 3,200 North American theaters. However, this information contradicts itself as it also mentions that Night Swim won't face competition on the horror front until March and there is no mention of any other film being released in January or February which would affect its box office performance.
• The article states that Night Swim will be competing with Aquaman 2 for the top spot at the box office. However, this information contradicts itself as it also mentions that Night Swim won't face competition on the horror front until March and there is no mention of any other film being released in January or February which would affect its box office performance.

Fallacies (75%)

• too familiar and derivative
• PG-13

Bias (85%)

• The titans of terror were collaborators on last year's sleeper hit “M3GAN,” which opened exactly a year ago with $30 million and went on to generate a scary-good $180 million worldwide.
• “too familiar and derivative — and too PG-13.”

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• The article mentions that Night Swim was produced by Universal Pictures, which could be seen as a conflict of interest for Rebecca Rubin since she is reporting on a movie produced by the company.

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• ✖ Night Swim, a new horror film from Universal Pictures, has been given an opening estimate by box office tracker Deadline. ✖
• ✖ The $15 million-budgeted movie Night Swim is set to hit theaters on August 30th. The film was produced by Universal Pictures and directed by James Wan. ✖

Unique Points

• Night Swim is a horror film directed by Bryce McGuire
• The movie follows the Waller family who moves into a new home with an ideal pool for Ray's physical therapy but encounter supernatural occurrences that harm them
• Kerry Condon plays Eve Waller, who becomes the first suspect when the haunted swimming pool begins its machinations in earnest
• The film was shot by Charlie Sarroff and features practical effects to make the ghostly encounters more tactile and unsettling
• Night Swim will be released in theaters on January 5, 2024.

Accuracy

• The movie follows the Waller family who moves into a new home with a dilapidated swimming pool out back
• Ray Waller, the father of the family, hopes that daily swims in the pool will help him get better after an illness
• Eve and Izzy are hesitant about moving to a new house but eventually join Ray in swimming in the pool

Deception (70%)

• McGuire manages to manipulate your preconceived notions and have a little fun with them. That makes for an engaging watch, even when the film is bogged down by the pressures and patterns of its chosen horror formula.
• The double-edged sword of horror films like Night Swim is that the audience has a version of the film in their head even before the projector lights up and the movie starts. If you’ve seen a trailer for Night Swim, you have a very clear idea of what this movie is, and that means two things for first-time director Bryce McGuire.

Fallacies (75%)

• The audience has a version of the film in their head even before the projector lights up
• If he is clever and gutsy enough, he can manipulate expectations
• the film is both creepy and amusing at times.

Bias (75%)

• The double-edged sword of horror films like Night Swim is that the audience has a version of the film in their head even before the projector lights up and the movie starts. If you’ve seen a trailer for Night Swim, you have a very clear idea of what this movie is,

Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

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Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

Unique Points

None Found At Time Of Publication

Accuracy

• Night Swim is a horror film about an evil swimming pool.
• The movie was released in January 2013 and received mixed reviews.
• Kerry Condon plays the lead character, a woman struggling to understand why her new pool is causing chaos in her family's life.

Deception (30%)

• The author uses sensationalism by describing the movie as a

Fallacies (70%)

• Russell energised to hit a home run when he thinks of pool
• a glass smashing itself because it's possessed by water from pool
• “There’s something wrong with this pool!” “That pool is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me!”

Bias (0%)

• But why is pool bad? What does pool want? How does pool kill?
• Her husband, played by Wyatt Russell, is a one-time baseball player struggling with early MS and while the water therapy initially improves his condition, he quickly turns into Jack Torrance, obsessed with pool and willing to do whatever pool wants even if pool bad.
• It makes for an odd cheque-casher for Kerry Condon, riding high off her breakout Oscar nomination for The Banshees of Inisherin, lumped with a thankless role that offers wide-release screentime but very little else.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• Kerry Condon, riding high off her breakout Oscar nomination for The Banshees of Inisherin
• The article discusses the horror movie Night Swim and its negative reception.

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• audiences happy to see in the new year with the very worst the industry has to offer.
• Night Swim is no M3gan

Unique Points

• Night Swim is a horror movie directed by Bryce McGuire
• The film was released in 2014 as a short and expanded to feature length in 2023
• It follows the Waller family, who move into a new home with an ideal pool for Ray's physical therapy but encounter supernatural occurrences that harm them
• Kerry Condon plays Eve Waller, who becomes the first suspect when the haunted swimming pool begins its machinations in earnest
• The film was shot by Charlie Sarroff and features practical effects to make the ghostly encounters more tactile and unsettling
• Night Swim will be released in theaters on January 5, 2024.

Accuracy

• The film was released in January 2013 and received mixed reviews.
• Night Swim is reminiscent of failed J-horror remakes like One Missed Call, Pulse or Shutter.

Deception (30%)

• The author states that a familiar formula and simplified mythology threaten to sink the movie when there are no such issues present in Night Swim.
• The author claims that Night Swim struggles to stay afloat despite being well received by critics and audiences alike.

Fallacies (75%)

• The article mentions that Night Swim was a collaboration with Rod Blackhurst but does not provide any context or information about his contributions. This is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy.

Bias (75%)

• As Ray struggles with not just his functional health but concepts of identity without his beloved sport, it's up to Eve (Kerry Condon) to care for him and, frequently, act as the bridge between dad and children Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren).
• It’s the family dynamics that mostly keep McGuire's feature afloat.
• McGuire mines every facet, drain, and depth for the horror.
• The explanation behind the pool's paranormal activity also feels under-baked and underwhelming to the point of undermining what works.
• The Waller family are at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives; a recent degenerative illness diagnosis cut a professional baseball career short for dad Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell).

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• Bryce McGuire is a member of an organization that produces horror content.
• ✓ Rod Blackhurst collaboration with writer/director Bryce McGuire in 2014 short Night Swim, cut straight to the horror to exploit everyone's worst fears about swimming pools.✓
• ✓ The author has a financial tie with the subject of their article as they are both involved in the production of Night Swim.✓

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• Bryce McGuire criticizes his own script for its lack of originality and creativity. He says that he wanted to pay homage to classic horror movies like Jaws and Psycho, but he failed to deliver anything memorable or innovative.
• Bryce McGuire defends his decision to make Night Swim as long as possible without any real scares or suspense. He claims that he wanted to create a sense of dread and tension by keeping the audience in the dark about what was lurking in the pool. However, this approach only makes Night Swim feel tedious and boring.
• Bryce McGuire praises his cast for their performances, especially Amélie Hoeferle as Izzy Waller, who he says is 'the heart and soul of the movie'. He also compliments Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller, who he describes as a 'typical horror dad' with a lot of charisma.
• Bryce McGuire says that Night Swim is a 'purely horrific experience', but it also feels like a cash grab from his previous success with horror shorts. He admits that he and Rod Blackhurst wanted to make something more commercial, and they chose the swimming pool as the perfect setting for their twisted vision.
• In an interview, Bryce McGuire reveals that he was inspired by a real-life incident where a family drowned in their backyard pool. He says that he wanted to explore the idea of what if something supernatural and evil lurked beneath the water, waiting for its chance to strike.