Water is not the easiest element
Poster of The swimming pool (Night Swim)
This Friday, February 9, The Swimming Pool was released in cinemas around the world, known internationally under a much more suggestive name: Night Swim. This is the latest film from the studio specializing in low-budget horror films, Blumhouse, which will soon release Imaginary, also with the aim of giving us a bad time.
Starring Wyatt Russell, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren and Oscar nominee Kerry Condon in the lead, the film directed by Bryce McGuire (Baghead) was not without its difficulties during its filming, as everything involving Large amounts of water, even in a swimming pool, is always a challenge for filming.
The story follows Ray Waller, a former baseball player suffering from a degenerative disease, who moves with his wife and children to a new home in search of a fresh start. However, the place’s dark past triggers terrifying events that endanger the family’s sanity and safety. As they struggle to survive, they discover disturbing connections between Ray’s illness, the house’s secrets, and a malevolent presence that threatens them all.
Curiosities of the swimming pool
- Director Bryce McGuire faced a monumental challenge creating the deadly pool for the Waller family in his horror-mystery thriller. Originally planned to be built at a studio in Hollywood, the region’s unusually rainy winter of late 2022 and early 2023 altered the course of filming, forcing the production team to extensively search for backyard gardens throughout Southern California . Ultimately, they found exactly what they wanted in Altadena.
- Although some scenes were filmed in an Olympic swimming pool in Chatsworth, The Pool was mainly filmed in real water, without digital effects to simulate underwater immersion. Cinematographer Charlie Sarroff used wider lenses to create the illusion of a pool as spacious as an ocean during tense moments.
- For the underwater scenes, the team collaborated with renowned specialists such as cinematographer Ian Takahashi and stunt coordinator Mark Rayner. Filming in water presented unique logistical and safety challenges, from maintaining water clarity to ensuring safe breathing for the actors.
- The cast received training in swimming and worked closely with storyboard artists and divers to choreograph the water scenes safely and effectively. Scenes requiring murky water were creatively done, using large vinyl planks and special makeup effects to create an eerie atmosphere.
- To design the water demons’ prosthetics, Justin Raleigh of Fractured FX’s special makeup effects team used advanced techniques and materials already used in productions such as Aquaman and the Swamp Thing series. His challenge was to create pieces that could not only resist water, but also discreetly conceal the actors’ diving equipment, if necessary.
- The original score for The Pool was composed by Mark Korven. According to director Bryce McGuire, Korven is the genius behind the soundtracks of his favorite horror films from the last decade, including titles such as The Witch, The Lighthouse and Black Phone. McGuire said: “I wrote a letter to Mark to express that his music is constantly present in my playlists when I write. I described my vision for the film’s music: it should resonate as if emerging from water, like a submerged choir rising from the depths. Mark joined the project and proved to be a gentle and extremely talented person. Only he could create such strange and terrifying sounds.”
- Just as The Pool pays homage to ’80s genre classics, its soundtrack is also an integral part of the film. The character of Ray Waller, played by Wyatt Russell, has an affinity for the heavy metal of that decade. According to McGuire, “Songs from the ’80s, from bands like Def Leppard, Poison, Quiet Riot, Sabbath and White Snake, are present because they transport Ray to the past.” He adds that it’s probably the music he listened to with his father in the car on the way to baseball practice when he was a kid.
2024-02-11 00:19:11
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