Bryce McGuire

Bryce James McGuire (born November 24, 1987) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing the horror film Night Swim. He also co-wrote the horror film Baghead (2023).

Early life and education McGuire was born and raised in the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. His mother was an English professor and his father a librarian, and he grew up surrounded by books and storytelling. He began writing short stories as a child and wrote a fantasy novel during his teenage years, which he would read to his cousins every summer. After graduating, he spent seven years in Los Angeles making short films and working odd jobs while developing his career as a professional screenwriter. The short went viral online and attracted industry attention, though McGuire did not initially plan to expand it into a feature.

McGuire directed his first feature film, Unfollowed (2018), a screenlife supernatural horror film with social media themes, starring McKaley Miller and Brendan Meyer. , wrote the screenplay for Baghead for StudioCanal, and did rewrite work for Blumhouse Productions, all before returning to the director's chair for the feature version of Night Swim.

Baghead, directed by Alberto Corredor and co-written by McGuire with Christina Pamies, was released in 2023. The folk horror film, starring Freya Allan and Peter Mullan, follows a young woman who inherits a dilapidated pub and discovers a shape-shifting creature in its basement. He ultimately found the story's emotional core after his friend and AFI classmate Dan Myers was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which inspired the central dramatic thread of the film: a family reckoning with a father's degenerative illness. Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures subsequently came on board, making Night Swim the first theatrical release following the merger of Atomic Monster and Blumhouse.

The film starred Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon, with Amélie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren as their children. McGuire cited Jaws (1975), Poltergeist (1982), The Abyss (1989), and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) as key influences, and has noted that the crew affectionately referred to the project as "Pooltergeist".

Night Swim was released in the United States on January 5, 2024. It opened to $12 million domestically, finishing second behind Wonka in its opening weekend, and earned a total of approximately $54.8 million worldwide against a production budget of $15 million. While the film was considered financially profitable due to its modest budget, it received largely negative reviews from critics, holding a 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned a "C" grade from CinemaScore.

Subsequent projects McGuire served as a producer on Dolly (2025), a slasher film directed by his longtime collaborator Rod Blackhurst. The film, shot on 16 mm film in the Chattanooga area, premiered at the Fantastic Fest in September 2025 and was acquired by Shudder and Independent Film Company for distribution.

McGuire and Blackhurst are co-founders of the Witchcraft Motion Picture Company, a production collective based in Chattanooga, which produced Dolly and other genre projects.

In 2026, it was announced that Jacob Chase is set to direct the horror film Sleepover, which he co-wrote with McGuire, and is based on an original short story by McGuire. Jason Blum serves as a producer for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, while Chase, McGuire and Bea Sequeira will executive produce. It is scheduled to be released on October 8, 2027 by Universal Pictures.

Personal life McGuire and his wife have two sons. He is based in the Chattanooga area.

Filmography Feature film

Short film

Television

Additional literary material Imaginary (2024)