Top 10 Swimming Pool Horror Movies

Rudy

3 months ago

There’s something inherently unsettling about a swimming pool — the still, crystalline water hiding depths of danger beneath its serene surface. In the world of horror cinema, filmmakers have long recognized the sinister potential of these watery arenas, using them as stages for blood-curdling scenes and psychological terror. From eerie drownings to deadly creatures lurking beneath, swimming pools have become iconic settings for some of the most bone-chilling moments in film.

Whether it’s a secluded resort pool turned into a hunting ground for sharks, or a haunting supernatural entity that emerges from the depths, horror movies have mastered the art of turning this symbol of leisure into a nightmare waiting to happen. In this article, we dive into 10 unforgettable horror films where swimming pools play a central role, exploring how directors and writers have transformed these calm waters into sites of fear, suspense, and grisly terror. From psychological thrillers to creature features, each movie showcases the many ways a pool can morph from a place of fun into a scene of pure horror.

Here’s the top 10 horror movie list that feature swimming pools and are ranked by their box office earnings, starting with number 10 and counting down to the highest-grossing film:

10. The Pool (2001)

Overview: A group of international high school students celebrating at a luxurious pool party finds themselves being stalked by a masked killer.
Director: Boris von Sychowski
Producer: Andreas Bareiss
Starring: James McAvoy, Isla Fisher
Box Office: $8.2 million

9. Aquaslash (2019)

Overview: A water park’s closing weekend turns into a bloodbath when a mysterious killer rigs deadly traps in the park’s water slides and pool areas.
Director: Renaud Gauthier
Producer: Melissa Coghlan
Starring: Nicolas Fontaine, Brittany Drisdelle
Box Office: $12.8 million

8. The Pool (2018)

Overview: A couple is trapped in an abandoned pool with a hungry crocodile, racing against time and battling exhaustion for survival.
Director: Ping Lumpraploeng
Producer: Pongnakorn Udommakornchai
Starring: Theeradej Wongpuapan, Ratnamon Ratchiratham
Box Office: $15.4 million

7. The Swimmer (1968)

Overview: A man embarks on a surreal and disturbing journey through his neighbors’ swimming pools, uncovering dark truths about his own life.
Director: Frank Perry
Producer: Sam Spiegel
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard
Box Office: $20.5 million

6. Swimfan (2002)

Overview: A star high school swimmer attracts the obsessive attention of a new girl at school, leading to sabotage and deadly consequences.
Director: John Polson
Producer: John Penotti
Starring: Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen
Box Office: $34.4 million

5. Night Swim (2024)

Overview: A supernatural horror film where a sinister force lurking in a backyard swimming pool terrorizes a family. Tension escalates as the family fights to survive this unknown entity.

Director: Bryce McGuire

Producer: James Wan, Jason Blum

Starring: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon

Box Office: $54 million

4. Shark Night 3D (2011)

Overview: A weekend of fun in a lake turns deadly as a group of college students find themselves hunted by bloodthirsty sharks. A swimming pool plays a key role in one terrifying scene.
Director: David R. Ellis
Producer: Chris Briggs, Mike Fleiss
Starring: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan
Box Office: $95.1 million

3. The Final Destination (2009)

Overview: After a premonition saves them from a race track accident, a group of friends begins to die one by one in freak accidents. One notable death occurs in a pool’s filtration system.
Director: David R. Ellis
Producer: Craig Perry, Warren Zide
Starring: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Mykelti Williamson
Box Office: $186.2 million

2. Poltergeist (1982)

Overview: A family is terrorized by malevolent spirits, and one of the most iconic scenes involves a mother trapped in a backyard pool filled with skeletons.
Director: Tobe Hooper
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall
Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson
Box Office: $210 million

1. It Follows (2014)

Overview: A young woman is relentlessly pursued by a supernatural entity after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter. The film’s climactic showdown takes place in a swimming pool.
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Producer: David Kaplan, Erik Rommesmo
Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist
Box Office: $220 million

Honorable Mention: Day Shift (2022)

Overview: In Day Shift (2022), Jaimie Foxx stars as a blue-collar vampire hunter in Los Angeles, who juggles exterminating the undead with trying to provide a better life for his daughter as a Swimming Pool Service Professional, blending action, comedy, and supernatural thrills.
Director: J.J. Perry
Writer: Tyler Tice, Shay Hatten
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Release Date: 2022-08-12
Box Office: Not released in Theaters

These films highlight how directors have used the seemingly innocent setting of a swimming pool to create terror, contributing to their box office success and lasting impact in the horror genre.

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