Kendall Hoeft

So Fresh: an exciting take on the horror genre Wow. The jumps scares got me. I even screamed in the theater at one particularly startling one! Debatably more surprising though than the film's scare-ability, is its sense of compelling story. I never expected to tear up in a horror movie, but this film has such beauty, poetry, and truth. There are multiple funny moments, too. I found myself laughing out loud at the solid comedic character development and dialogue. It was pretty amazing what layers McGuire was able to build in only an hour and 36 minutes. Though undeniably eerie and creepily exquisite, Night Swim stays artful throughout rather than relying on cheap/easy tricks, or falling in line with typical horror formulas. I enjoyed the surprise and thrill of this fresh take, and am excited to stretch in my thinking of what horror is, or could be. This film really creates a new branch on the horror tree. It reminded of M. Night's The Village, suspenseful but with powerful meaning and a real story rich with complex drama, interesting characters and human psychology. While it's not as on-the-nose horrifying as some other films in the horror genre, Night Swim does so much more than hit those cliche marks. Go see it for yourself! It's truly genre bending. The inky water bleeds through these man-made, overdone borders. It's part horror/jump scares, thriller, drama, mystery, and fable. Really cool. I have never seen anything like it. I like to think the genre may be opening up, making it more accessible to a broader audience-folks that might enjoy some thrills, but also want a really solid film outside of the typical horror gimmicks.