The Pool (2018)
Directed by Ping Lumpraploeng
Horror is in a bit of a weird spot right now. Movie theatres are closed and even though my preferred chain is set to open in mid-August I have no expectations that it will actually do so. Regardless of all that, horror movies are still going strong with many new releases opening successfully in Drive-Ins and Video On Demand, and it truly warms my heart. The film I’m looking at today was not recently released but it did just find its way stateside thanks to the fine folks at the horror streaming service Shudder. It does feel very timely though because it deals with contemporary issues like isolation, despair, and social distancing. In this case, someone is socially distancing with a crocodile but I think my point still stands.
Let’s Just Get Through The Story Quickly.
The Pool is about a young man, Day, who, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, finds himself trapped in a huge empty swimming pool. Day isn’t alone though, as his girlfriend and dog are sort of with him. Oh, also there is a crocodile in there with him. There’s significantly more to the story but I don’t want to spoil anything as this movie works better the more blind you go in. That’s how my group went in anyway, and we all really liked it!
Not A Deep Plot, But An Effective One.
As far as plot goes, yes, this is a rather thin movie. There’s the main problem, get out of this pool while avoiding crocodile death, and a large portion of the movie is our heroes’ attempts to get out of this pool. In other movies this plot might present a problem, it would be easy for a single-goaled movie like this to run out of steam quickly or to add filler, but The Pool doesn’t have that problem, because there is a good amount of character drama that fills the gaps between the more intense sequences. And there are plenty of opportunities for that since The Pool is dripping with tension.
I’ve Never Felt A Tension Like This Before.
What plants this tension from scene one is the best use of an in media res opening I have ever seen. The film opens with the caption “Day Six”, Day is obviously wounded in many unpleasant ways, the croc is present and feisty, and Day’s dog, Lucky, is also there. This opening is nothing short of brilliant! It gives you just enough information to know that the dangers of this pool are real, that Day is trapped there for at least six days, and that he appears to be alone except for his dog. These ideas are all conveyed simply and quickly, letting the audience stew on important questions like; how and when did Day get injured, how did this crocodile get here, and how did this situation with Day being stuck even happen? It’s not only an action opener but it plants ideas in your head because now you know that Day will get injured, so you’re constantly thinking, oh god is this how it happens?
This Movie Can Get Brutal. Upsetting Even, To The Right Person.
And when things do go bad, they go really bad. There isn’t a ton of gore in The Pool, I think the budget may have gotten in the way of that, but there is a lot of injury and violence that’s ready to fill that brutal void. What makes the violence so brutal and unpleasant isn’t just effects work, it’s a couple different things working together. Most of the injuries we see are realistic, they are things that could happen to anyone and usually wouldn’t be life-threatening, so there’s a grounded nature that helps make the violence more visceral. In the same way, the characters are relatable and you’re constantly participating with the movie by thinking how you would try to get out of the pool, so it is easy to imagine these bad things happening to you. Cementing the gruesome nature of the violence here is the horrific sound design. Someone I watched this movie with had to cover their ears during a particularly brutal sequence because the sounds of this movie will tear your nerves to shreds.
We Can All Agree The CGI Croc Looks Bad. Not That Big Of A Deal.
I don’t really want to say anything too negative about The Pool, but there are a few things about it that maybe could have been done better than I will remark upon just to not let this review be me gushing for another paragraph. The key enemy of The Pool is a stray crocodile and while usually it’s a real crocodile sometimes they had to use a CGI crocodile, of course for the safety of the crew and croc, and it is very noticeable whenever its a CGI croc. It does slightly detract from the opening when Day is being menaced by an obviously CGI croc, not enough to put me off, but I’d imagine at least one person shut the movie off during the opening because the croc doesn’t look great. Also, I have heard people didn’t like The Pool kind of dips into absurdity with the Murphy’s Law setup of Day being stuck in the pool and the slightly over the top ending, but I don’t have a problem with those things. We’ve all had days where nothing goes right, the stakes were just a lot higher in this case though I do get how it could stretch suspension of disbelief. In contrast, the ending is awesome and earned and I will fight anyone who says they didn’t like it.
Great Piece Of Summer Horror But Not For The Faint Of Heart!
The Pool is one of those rare kinds of movies that takes a concept that should not work, like being stuck in a massive pool with a crocodile, and not only make it work but make it great. Clever filmmaking and storytelling subtly pervade every sequence, taking what could be a generic animal attack movie and making something truly horrifying, special, and relatable. Every second of The Pool is so filled with tension and drama, and I can’t remember the last time a movie sucked me in so quickly and effectively. It’s a brutal movie, heartbreaking at times, and not for everyone, but horror fans, and even people who like intense action-thrillers, will find plenty to love about The Pool.
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