The master of horror, Stephen King, seems to have some kind of inexplicable affection for a waterlogged mess, which has been getting absolutely eviscerated by critics and audiences alike.
The widely criticized disappointment in question that has somehow hooked King? Night Swim (2024). The movie, which currently holds an abysmal 21 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, has been called everything from “predictable” to “silly” to “one of the worst films” by disappointed viewers.
Despite the overwhelmingly negative reception, King has taken to Twitter/X to defend this aquatic nightmare, urging fans to ignore the critics. One can’t help but wonder if the master of horror has finally lost his touch, or if he’s simply trolling us all with his perplexing endorsement.
Naturally, King’s tweet has sparked a heated debate among horror fans. Some are willing to give Night Swim a chance based on his recommendation, while others are more skeptical. One user summed it up nicely: “It was pretty much a standard haunted house movie that revolved around a haunted pool instead of a haunted house. It was okay for what it was. ‘Terrific’ seems like a little bit of an overstatement though.” It’s hard to argue with that assessment, given that Night Swim brings nothing new to the table in terms of horror tropes or storytelling.
Others were even more brutal in their assessment. “When we left the Dolby screening, a bunch of teens said ‘I can’t believe we spent money on that,” another user shared. “It’s NOT a good movie in ANY WAY. Then again, I also paid to see Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers back in 1992. What a joke that was too.” When your own fans are comparing your recommendations to Sleepwalkers, you know you’ve got a problem.
Not that King is acknowledging it.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time King has tried to promote Night Swim. In fact, he’s been singing its praises for months, even going so far as to compare it to Steven Spielberg’s breakout film, Duel, from 1971.
While it’s admirable to see King stand up for what he believes in, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at the comparison. To make matters worse, Night Swim‘s lackluster box office performance speaks for itself. Despite being the first collaboration between the newly merged Atomic Monster and Blumhouse production companies, the movie only managed to gross $54 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. While that might seem like a decent return on investment, it pales in comparison to recent Blumhouse horror hits like M3gan.
Part of the problem may lie in the fact that Night Swim is based on a short film that simply dragged out to reinvent itself as a feature-length movie. As a result, many viewers felt that the final product was stretched too thin, relying on predictable jump scares and tired horror clichés to pad out its runtime. It’s a shame because, with the right script and direction, a movie about a haunted pool could have been a unique and terrifying addition to the horror canon.
But here’s the thing – love him or hate him, you can’t deny that King knows a thing or two about horror. The man has written over 60 novels, many of which have been adapted into classic films like The Shining, Carrie, and Misery. So when he says that Night Swim is a “terrific suspense movie,” maybe it’s worth giving it a second look – maybe King sees something in it that the rest of us have missed? But is it possible to look past the long list of negative reviews pointing out every single way the supernatural horror will thoroughly disappoint you or disregard the most diehard King fans struggling to find anything redeeming about the waterlogged dud.?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Either way, one thing’s for sure – Night Swim is unlikely to make a splash in the horror genre or redeem its status as a commercial win, no matter how much King tries to convince us otherwise.