Night Swim (2024) Movie Ending Explained: What Happens to the Waller Family in the End?  

Directed by Bryce McGuire, “Night Swim” is a horror thriller film about a family in crisis. We meet a family of four that moves to a new neighborhood. Soon after, they realize the life-threatening consequences of their decision. Written by Rod Blackhurst with McGuire, the film presents a mix of supernatural horror and thriller genre elements. The cast includes Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Wyatt Russell (“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”), Amelie Hoeferle, and Gavin Warren in the central roles. 

Spoilers ahead. 

Night Swim (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

What is ‘Night Swim’ about?

Bryce McGuire’s “Night Swim” follows a family of four moving into a new house. Former baseball player Ray Waller succumbs to an illness that puts an early stop to his successful career. He chooses a new house with a pool, hoping it will be good for the kids and his physical therapy. Soon after, they realize a dark secret about this place, which turns their lives upside down. The main cast of “Night Swim” includes Kerry Condon, Wyatt Russell, Amelie Hoeferle, and Gavin Warren.

What happens in ‘Night Swim’?

Because of a degenerative illness, baseball player Ray Waller (played by Wyatt Russell) is forced into early retirement. After that, he decides to move to a new house with his wife, Eve (played by Kerry Condon), and their two children, Izzy (played by Amelie Hoeferle)  & Elliot (played by Gavin Warren). Real estate agent Kay (played by Nancy Lenehan) shows them a house. But Ray doesn’t feel confident about moving there. While driving around, he notices an empty house with a pool in the front. It looks like a dream to him. He thinks it will be good for his physical therapy & the kids. So, the Wallers move into this house.  

The Wallers resume their lives in a new place. Together, they start cleaning the pool. In the process, Ray accidentally cuts his hand. So, the couple calls a pool tech (played by Ben Sinclair) to check for any issues with their swimming pool. He reveals that the water is supposed to be good for their health. Surprisingly, that turns out true for Ray. After months of struggle, Ray’s condition suddenly gets a whole lot better. His doctor also finds the sudden development quite surprising. It makes Ray happier and as agile as he used to be. 

What happens in the swimming pool? 

Despite Ray’s miraculous recovery, something about the swimming pool scares his wife and kids. At night, Eve walks into the pool for a swim. She goes underwater and witnesses something strange. On the outside, she notices a human figure. But when she gets to the top, she sees no one outside. When she walks out, the lights flicker a couple of times. It spooks her. She asks Ray if he did that. But he has no clue about it. Soon after, Elliot jumps in the pool for a swim. Usually, he and Ray play a game where Ray throws coins in the water and Elliot goes to find them. This time, Elliot is alone. So, he can’t understand how the coins keep falling into the water. Still, he collects them. Outside, he sees no one.  

Back underwater, Elliot notices something in a small gap. He hears a young girl’s voice calling him for help. She reveals her name is Rebecca Summers (played by Ayazhan Dalabayeva) and her mother left her. Elliot sees his lost figurine in that gap. When he tries to get it out, something pulls to the other side. So, he gets out, scared, and tells Eve about it. Later, when Eve & Ray go out for a night, Izzy calls her new friend (played by Elijah J Roberts) to their house. They start playing Marco Polo in the swimming pool. Izzy closes her eyes, hears someone’s voice, and follows it. Soon after, she understands that it isn’t Ronin’s. She quickly gets out of the pool, terrified.

What is in the swimming pool?

Elliot sees Izzy coming out of the pool, scared & screaming. He asks her if she also saw something/someone in the water. She refuses, having seen any such thing. But in reality, she doesn’t want their family to move again to a new house just because the pool in this house is haunted. Around that time, Ray starts showing more interest in family matters. He hopes Elliot has a better social life. So, he joins Elliot on his baseball practice. After Elliot hits his shots, Ray does so too. The first two times, he misses the ball. But later, he hits it so hard that it breaks the overhead lights. By doing this, he shifts the focus from kids to himself. 

Later, the Wallers invite friends and neighbors for a pool party. While they spend time in and around the pool, Eve stays in the kitchen. While talking with Kay, she learns something shocking. Years ago, a young girl died by drowning in this pool. The girl was Rebecca Summers, the same person that Elliot presumably met in the water. While that happens, Ray gets in the swimming pool with Elliot’s schoolmate and almost drowns him to death. Afterward, the kid’s parents don’t file a case against Ray but tell the Wallers to stay away from them. Turns out, Elliot acted that way because he was possessed by a ghost/spirit.

Night Swim (2024) Movie Ending Explained:

After the swimming pool incident, Eve rushes to get out of their cursed house immediately. She gets in the car with Elliot, Izzy, and Ray. But the moment she starts the engine, Ray starts acting strangely. So, she stops the car and brings him back to his bed. Dr Shridhar thinks it was just another one of Ray’s psychotic episodes. So, she expects him to get some rest. However, Eve can’t keep her mind at peace. So, she starts looking into the history of this house. Through her research, she realizes that many people died, disappeared, or vanished after they moved into their house.  

Eve calls the recent house owner, Lucy Summers (played by Jodi Long), to talk about this issue. But Lucy doesn’t respond. So, Eve shows up at her doorstep to speak with her. During their conversation, Lucy avoids talking about Summer almost as if she never existed. Once Eve confronts her, Lucy reveals that she sacrificed Summer for her son’s improved health. Turns out, her son had severe health problems, which vanished after Summer sacrificed herself in the pool water. It is similar to how Ray’s health improved after they moved into the house. Eve finds it inhumane. 

What happens to the Waller family in the end? 

Eve tries to dig deeper into Lucy sacrificing Summer. Suddenly, Lucy starts bleeding from her eye. A grey liquid starts pouring out, similar to what appeared in the pool. So, Eve gets terrified and decides to leave immediately. Before she leaves, her phone gets soaked in water. So she can’t call her family. Back home, the spirit takes over Ray’s body. Around that time, Elliot and Izzy return home. They call their parents but get no response. Elliot walks out toward the pool and gets sucked into the water. Right around then, Eve returns home. To save Elliot, she jumps in the water whereas Izzy goes back into the house. 

Possessed, Ray starts following and attacking Izzy. So, she gets scared and decides to hide. Meanwhile, Eve finds Elliot and tries to save him. But the spirits of dead people from the past start pulling her down. Somehow, Eve fights their intentions and saves herself & Elliot. Izzy leaves the house, and the possessed Ray follows her. She beats him hard to make the spirit leave his body. After that, Eve, Elliot, & Izzy decide to leave immediately. But Ray figures the water expects sacrifice. So, he sacrifices himself in the water to save his family. After this happens, the Wallers decide to cover the pool so that there’s no other victim of the water’s curse.

Night Swim (2024) Movie Trailer

Night Swim (2024) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia
Night Swim (2024) Movie Cast: Kerry Condon, Wyatt Russell, Amelie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Jodi Long, Ellie Araiza, Nancy Lenehan, Aivan Uttapa, Elijah J Roberts, Rahnuma Panthaky, Eddie Martinez, Ben Sinclair, Ayazhan Dalabayeva

Where to watch Night Swim