In 2014, director Bryce McGuire made Night Swim, an acclaimed five-minute short shot in the backyard of Grammy-winning musician Michelle Branch and featuring actress Megalyn Echikunwoke (Fox’s Almost Family) as a young woman who goes missing in her own pool when an evening swim leads to a close encounter with something creepy. 

The short made a splash on YouTube and among its many fans was Judson Scott, executive vice president at Atomic Monster, who then recommended the short to Atomic Monster founder and horror master James Wan. “It was abundantly clear from watching the short that Bryce was a gifted filmmaker with a command of craft and tone,” Wan, co-producer for Night Swim the movie, says. “The story it told was so mysterious and evocative, and Bryce had a compelling vision for how it could be turned into something bigger, stranger and scarier while also being emotionally resonant.”

Says Jason Blum, whose fan favorite Blumhouse Productions produced the film, “What I liked about Bryce’s script was how it fleshed out the premise of a ‘spooky swimming pool’ in a credible, relatable, emotional way that felt contemporary and relatable yet classical at the same time.” Blum co-produced the film with Wan, a similar team-up they did for the blockbuster smash M3GAN (2022).

Night Swim takes the most banal pleasure of suburban life and transforms it into a wellspring of demonic evil in a movie that combines the style, impishness and wicked world-building that audiences have come to expect from horror film powerhouses Jason Blum and James Wan, with the eerie vibes and emotional resonance of classic eighties-era chillers like Poltergeist and Pet Sematary.

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/hgnUYV330cA?si=I447yv_uA3Bt25du

Why the pool?

“The pool represents status, diversion, fun,” director McGuire says. “It’s sexy; it’s seductive,

and that’s what makes it deadly. The colors are rich and vibrant; the cool glowing turquoise

water invites us like a siren call. But in the water, when the lights go out, it feels big. I also

loved the idea of tapping into the universal memories we all have with the pool from our

childhoods – reaching into the drain flap, skimming out dead bugs from the surface, getting

your leg caught in the pool cleaner tube, playing Marco Polo – and turning these memories

into unique scares. I would always say on set, ‘I want to smell the chlorine.’ I hope people

smell the chlorine when they watch this movie on a big screen.”

Night Swim, produced by horror powerhouses James Wan and Jason Blum and distributed by Universal Pictures International, is now showing in cinemas. #NightSwimMovie

Follow Universal Pictures PH (FB), UniversalPicturesPH (IG) and UniversalPicsPH (TikTok) for the latest updates on Night Swim.

(ROHN ROMULO)

DOBLE ang pagdiriwang nina Derrick Monasterio at Elle Villanueva dahil bukod sa kaarawan ng aktres, ibinalita rin sa kanila na extended ang pinagbibidahan nilang GMA Afternoon Prime series na ‘Makiling’.

Ipinagdiwang nina Derrick at Elle ang kaarawan ng dalaga sa Batangas.

“This time kasama ko si Derrick pati si mommy, pumunta kami ng Anilao, nag-freediving kami roon. Sobrang na-enjoy namin,” sey ni Elle.

“‘Yun talaga kasi ‘yung gusto ni Elle dito ‘pag birthday niya, or kahit na gusto lang niyang mag-relax, gusto talaga niya ng beach,” sabi naman ni Derrick.

Nagsilbing birthday gift para kay Elle ang extension ng ‘Makiling’.

“Kahit kami nabibitin kami. Gusto pa namin ng more story, more character arch. Gusto pa naming ituloy ‘yung show, magbigay ng mas malalim na storya pa,” sey ni Elle.

Dahil dito, handa na sina Derrick at Elle sa mas matinding dramahan, gantihan at aksyon ngayong extended ang kanilang series.

“Sinabi sa akin palalagyan nila talaga ako ng mas marami pang maaakysong scene kasi, bagay naman daw sa akin, hindi naman awkward. Wow, thank you po for the compliment.

“Yung magkaroon kami ng eksenang action na dalawa ni Derrick, maglalaban kami,” natatawang biro naman ni Elle sa mga inaasahan niyang eksena,” sey ni Derrick.

***

NAGING open na si Diego Loyzaga sa kanyang naging experience noong sumailalim siya sa rehabilitation.

Ito raw ang nakapagbago sa kanya after ng kanyang pagtangkang mag-suicide.

“I did go to rehab. I was very, very, depressed. I was in the brink of suicidal. I will not deny that substances had a part to play with my mental state. They don’t help eh, hindi siya nakakatulong.

“If you’re already a person with a problem, meron kang pinagdadaanan and there’s other substances, other factors that are pulling you down, it’s a hard bit to crawl out of,” sey ni Diego.

Para hindi raw mag-relapse, ginagawa niyang kausapin ang kanyang counselors lalo na kapag nagkakaroon siya ng urge na balikan ang dating bisyo.

“Every single day I still talk to my counselors, I’m still in touch with my kuyas and ates from rehabilitation, and they are still monitoring me. All the time I’m still very open with them,” sey ni Diego na walong buwan na nasa loob ng rehab facility at hindi raw nakita ang kanyang pamilya hanggang naging handa siya physically and mentally.

Isa sa mga plano ni Diego ang gumawa ng kanyang sariling YouTube channel para madetalye niya ang kanyang mga pinagdaanan at paano siya nabago ng rehabilitation bilang tao.

***

ANG pelikulang ‘Oppenheimer’ at and TV shows na ‘Succession’ and ‘The Bear’ ang big winner sa 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards aired live on Netflix.

Samantala, ang legendary singer-actress-director and producer na si Barbra Streisand ang ginawaran ng SAG Life Achievement Award.

Here are the winners…

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Oppenheimer

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Succession

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Bear

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Steven Yeun (Beef)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Ali Wong (Beef)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: The Last of Us

(RUEL J. MENDOZA)