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Based on a 2014 short film, Night Swim is a supernatural horror movie directed by Bryce McGuire and stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon. The movie revolves around the Waller family, who move into a suburban house with a swimming pool to help with the father—Ray Waller’s—multiple sclerosis.
Supernatural events start to unfold as the family cat disappears, the family witnesses eerie visions, and the children get attacked. The movie exploits the fear one has about the deep and the unknown. Night Swim uses the themes of water and suburban life to instill fear in the audience.
For people who enjoyed the tense movie, here’s a list of six other films that are similarly themed.
Underwater, Vivarium, and other movies to watch after Night Swim
1) Open Water - Amazon Prime Video
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Directed by Chris Kentis and based on a true story, Open Water is a survival horror movie about a young couple, played by Daniel Travis and Blanchard Ryan, who get stranded while scuba diving after the tour boat leaves them behind. Stranded in shark-infested waters, the couple must think tactfully and rely on each other to escape the situation. A circling shark and a night thunderstorm further escalate the danger.
The movie received praise for its visceral intensity. Night Swim and Open Water have thematic similarities, as both movies play on one’s fear of water and the unknown.
2) Dark Water (2005) - Amazon Prime Video
A remake of a Japanese film of the same name, Dark Water is a supernatural horror movie directed by Walter Salles and stars Jennifer Connelly. The movie revolves around a single parent, Dahlia, who moves into a shabby building with her daughter and starts experiencing paranormal activity.
Dark water begins to leak from the ceiling, and a presence haunts the bathtub. Soon, Dahlia discovers the tragic history of the building. In both movies, the evil entity uses water as its medium—the Dark Water bathtub and the Night Swim pool. The history of the place plays an important role in uncovering the reason.
3) Underwater - Amazon Prime Video
Starring Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, and others, Underwater is a science fiction horror film directed by William Eubank. When an earthquake destroys an underwater drilling and research facility, a team of researchers and engineers has to go through various obstacles to escape the ocean.
But while they try to escape, they realize that a presence is following them. An entity that was released due to the disaster. The movie received praise for its stylish direction. The claustrophobic atmosphere, fear of water, and the deep unknown present in Night Swim can similarly be seen in Underwater.
4) Vivarium - Amazon Prime Video
Apart from its heavy concentration on water to evoke horror, Night Swim also comments upon the deceptive reality of suburban life—which is not as safe as it is seen to be. A movie with similar themes is Vivarium. A sci-fi, psychological thriller, it is about a young couple trapped in a vivarium-like neighborhood while house hunting.
Unable to escape, they are forced to care for a mysterious child. The movie’s suburban backdrop is eerie and forces viewers to think about the inescapable nature of horror that might be in one’s own neighborhood—something also seen in Night Swim.
5) Black Water - Amazon Video
An international co-production between Australia and the United Kingdom, Black Water is a horror film that stars Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, and others. The movie is inspired by a true story and is set amidst the mangrove swamps of Australia.
The film revolves around a pregnant woman, her husband, and her sister, who get stuck on a mangrove boat tour and have to get out quickly from the saltwater crocodile-infested waters. The movie was praised for not using CGI and building a tense atmosphere. Like Night Swim, the movie is centered around water and fear.
6) Get Out - Netflix
Another movie that exploits the hidden horrors of suburban life Get Out, is a critically acclaimed psychological horror film directed by Jordan Peele. It is about a Black man, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), whose white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), invites him to her parents' house for the weekend.
The initially welcoming atmosphere slowly turns eerie and horrifying as Chris notices strange things about Rose and her family. The film has received praise for handling issues like class and race. While Get Out has a different storyline than Night Swim, it has the same suburban horror setting.
Viewers who enjoyed the horror film Night Swim can choose any movie from the list for their next binge-watch.
