Night Swim (2024)

The written companion

Draft companion · Awaiting editorial review

Night Swim: Matt's First Reaction Finds More Than the Reputation Suggests

Matt walks into Night Swim knowing little beyond a swimming pool, a horror premise, and a new release to see. He has not watched a trailer or read a description. In this initial reaction, that lack of preparation seems to help: he comes out having enjoyed himself more than the negative responses he has encountered would suggest.

He sees a familiar kind of jump-scare movie, but familiarity is not automatically a problem for him here. The performances and character development give him enough reason to care about the people in danger. That investment is what he thinks makes the scares land.

His verdict at this moment is three and a half stars. The emphasis belongs on first reaction: this video captures his response immediately after watching, rather than a later reconsideration or a permanent ranking. What he is defending is the value of a straightforward popcorn horror experience when it manages to make its characters matter.

Did Night Swim give you enough reason to care for its scares to work? And have you ever liked a film more on first viewing than its reputation led you to expect?

Watch Matt's initial Night Swim reaction ↗

Based on auto-generated captions. The three-and-a-half-star score belongs specifically to this initial-reaction video.