Until Dawn
David F. directs the American survival horror film Until Dawn, which comes out in 2025. Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler wrote Sandberg. It is derived from the 2015 video game by PlayStation Studios, and it is set in the same universe while featuring an original standalone story that expands upon the game’s mythology.
It stars Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, and Belmont Cameli as a group of friends who end up in a secluded area embedded with a time loop mechanic; a threat is out to hunt them where dying restarts the night with a new threat each time, and the only solution is to survive until morning.
In addition, Peter Stormare reprises his role from the game. Sony Pictures announced the film’s development in January 2024, with PlayStation Productions slated to produce. Casting announcements were made throughout 2024 and principal photography took place between August and October 2024 in Budapest.
The crew features frequent collaborators of Sandberg, including composer Benjamin Wallfisch, cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, and editor Michel Aller.
Sony Pictures Releasing released Until Dawn on April 25, 2025, in the United States. The film has received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $51 million worldwide.
Plot
Clover, her ex-boyfriend Max, her friends, Nina and Megan, and Nina’s boyfriend, Abe, are retracing the steps of Clover’s missing sister, Melanie. The group stops by a gas station from which Melanie had previously sent a message, and Clover meets the station attendant, Hill. He claims that people tend to go missing on the road towards a mining town called Glore Valley. The group travels to the town, but heavy rainfall forces them to seek shelter at a visitor center. However, the rain only affects the surrounding area.
In the visitors center, Abe finds a wall filled with posters of missing persons, including Melanie. Nina writes in the guestbook of the center as night falls. Exploring downstairs, the group finds another house underneath the center. A masked assailant, wielding a pickaxe, suddenly attacks and kills everyone.
The group awakens on the first night with a new guest book signature and their missing person posters on the board. They realize that the night is repeating, indicated by an hourglass in the main room. Suddenly, the lights go out, revealing a dilapidated house across from the center.
Megan is possessed and killed by a supernatural force that drags Clover into the house, where she meets an elderly Glore Valley resident who possesses her, telling her that she can either “survive the night, or become part of it.” Abe tries to flee with Nina, but they encounter a giant monster outside the center, and after turning back, are murdered by the masked assailant. Possessed, Clover kills Max before she gets run over and dies.
The night begins anew as the group realizes they are in a time loop with only 13 deaths before they disappear like the other visitors. They barricade themselves in the bathroom and drink tap water, which causes them to explode. The group dies, and as Clover perishes, she sees Hill, who reveals his involvement and urges her to keep moving. Starting the night again, Clover vows to uncover the truth about Hill and Melanie.
An argument arises between the group. Nina, angered by Abe’s attempt to abandon them, stabs him with a pickaxe. While Clover, Max, and Megan explore the woods, Abe and Nina are murdered by the masked assailant. The three are attacked by wendigos, resulting in Megan’s death.
Clover and Max meet Melanie, who has now turned into a wendigo herself. Heartbroken, Clover tells Max to kill her, so they can start the night again and learn more. Max slits her throat and then drinks some of the water that causes him to explode while he curses at Melanie.
Looking for answers, the group discovers that Glore Valley sank into the ground after a mining disaster, killing hundreds, and that Hill was brought in to act as a therapist to the survivors. They find a VHS tape showing that those trapped at the center are turned into wendigos after being killed on the 13th night. The group attempts to find Hill and go through several nights of repeatedly being murdered by various creatures.
A flashback shows Melanie leaving Clover after their mother’s death, and following an argument, which still haunts Clover. She awakens on their 13th night, where the group’s bodies start deteriorating into wendigos. The group discovers that Megan, who has also gone missing, survived the night and has followed Hill into a series of tunnels. Ready to confront Hill, the group follows Megan’s trail, fending off the wendigos.
The masked assailant ambushes them, and Clover splits from the others to track down Hill. After a confrontation with Melanie, where Clover is forced to kill her sister, she finds herself at the Sanatorium, where Megan is trapped in a room with a wendigo. Clover confronts Hill, who reveals he is running experiments, and the creatures faced are part manifestations of Clover’s depression and fears.
Hill places his coffee on his desk and Clover moves it under dripping lethal tap water, and he explodes after ingesting it. She retrieves the keys and frees Megan. The others manage to kill the masked assailant, and the group flees through the tunnels, pursued by the wendigos. They escape the tunnels just as the hourglass runs out and the sun rises.
The group drives away from the center now that they are out of the time loop. Meanwhile, a surveillance system in Hill’s office changes to a snowy cabin where a car pulls up and Hill’s whistling can be heard.
Cast
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- Ella Rubin as Clover, a girl searching for her missing sister, Melanie
- Michael Cimino as Max, Clover’s ex-boyfriend
- Odessa A’zion as Nina, Clover’s best friend
- Ji-young Yoo as Megan, Max’s step sister
- Belmont Cameli as Abe, Nina’s boyfriend
- Maia Mitchell as Melanie, Clover’s older sister who missing
- Peter Stormare as Dr. Hill, a psychologist
- Lotta Losten as a reporter
What do we think about this movie?
Until Dawn (2025) Movie Review: A Spooky, Silly, Slasher Shenanigan
Picture this: it’s a chilly April evening in 2025, the popcorn’s popping, the lights are dim, and I’m curled up on the couch, ready to dive into Until Dawn, the horror flick adapted from the 2015 video game that had us all screaming at our screens. I’m expecting thrills, chills, and maybe a few unintentional giggles, but oh boy, this movie delivers a rollercoaster of scares, laughs, and “what the heck was that?” moments. Let me take you through this wild ride, with all the spooky flair and humanized chaos of someone who’s just survived a horror movie marathon and lived to tell the tale.
The Setup: A Cabin, a Curse, and a Time Loop Twist
Until Dawn (2025) is like inviting your favorite horror tropes to a party and then spiking the punch with a time loop twist. The film, directed by David F. Sandberg (aka @ponysmasher, who’s clearly having a blast), takes the interactive, choice-driven narrative of the 2015 Supermassive Games hit and tries to cram its eerie charm into a 90-minute slasher flick. We’re back in the snowy Blackwood Mountain, where a group of teens—because of course it’s teens—face a night of terror involving wendigos, bad decisions, and a mysterious curse that keeps them reliving the same nightmarish night. Think Scream meets Groundhog Day, but with more gore and a penchant for making you question your life choices.
The story follows a fresh batch of characters (with nods to the game’s cast, which fans will eat up) led by a plucky protagonist, Sam, played with gusto by Ella Purnell. She’s the kind of final girl you root for: smart, snarky, and just the right amount of “I’m done with this nonsense.”
The ensemble is rounded out by a mix of archetypes—the jock, the nerd, the mean girl, the comic relief—who all get their moment to shine (or scream). The premise? A prank gone wrong, a creepy mountain lodge, and a supernatural force that’s really not happy about their Airbnb booking. Oh, and that time loop I mentioned? It’s the film’s big swing, raising the stakes by forcing our heroes to relive their gruesome deaths until they figure out how to break the cycle.
The Good: Scares That Slap and a Nostalgic Vibe
Let’s start with the good stuff, because Until Dawn knows how to deliver a horror party. The scares are legit—there’s a jump scare involving a wendigo in a dark hallway that made me yeet my popcorn across the room. The creature design is top-notch, with practical effects and CGI blending so well I forgot I was watching a movie and not actually hiding from a monster. @billbria on X called it “the MOST horror film of the year,” and I get it—the production design is dripping with creepy vibes, from the creaky cabin to the fog-shrouded woods that look like they’re auditioning for a haunted forest role.
The cast is a highlight, bringing just enough heart to make you care when they start dropping like flies. Ella Purnell’s Sam is a standout, balancing terror with a “let’s solve this” attitude that feels like she’s channeling every horror fan who’s yelled at the screen, “Don’t go in there!” The ensemble leans into the nostalgic “teens in trouble” vibe, which @ReelJeffEwing nailed as giving off a slightly retro charm. It’s like the movie knows you grew up on Friday the 13th and I Know What You Did Last Summer and wants to give you a warm, bloody hug.
And the humor? Oh, it’s there, and it’s glorious. The script is peppered with meta gags that poke fun at horror clichés—like when the comic relief character, Mike, yells, “Why does the hot one always die first? I’m not that hot!” before sprinting from a wendigo. There’s a scene where the group debates splitting up, and Sam deadpans, “Sure, let’s make it easier for the monster to cater our funeral.” It’s self-aware without being smug, and it had me cackling even as I checked under the couch for monsters.
The time loop mechanic is a clever twist, adding a layer of tension as the characters try to outsmart their doom. It’s not just Groundhog Day with gore; it’s more dynamic, with each loop revealing new clues about the mountain’s curse. The film doesn’t overexplain the supernatural stuff, which I appreciate—sometimes a creepy mystery is creepier when it’s vague. @Lulamaybelle on X called it “delightfully ingenious,” and I’m with her—it’s a crowd-pleaser that knows how to keep you hooked.
The Not-So-Good: Clichés and a Shaky Script
Now, let’s talk about where Until Dawn trips over its own axe. The film tries so hard to distance itself from the game that it sometimes feels like it’s running from its own shadow. Rotten Tomatoes pointed out the irony: in trying to be different, it leans into horror clichés harder than a slasher villain chasing a screaming co-ed. The “prank gone wrong” setup feels like it was ripped from a 90s teen horror playbook, and some of the character motivations are flimsier than a paper towel in a storm. Why does the mean girl keep making that choice? Because the script says so, that’s why.
The story’s weak spots are noticeable, especially in the second act, where the pacing drags like a zombie with a sprained ankle. IMDB’s review called it “entertaining in some scenes and dull in others,” and I felt that. There’s a stretch where the characters wander around the cabin, arguing about who’s to blame, and I was like, “Guys, the wendigo’s literally outside, can we focus?” The script has an interesting foundation, but it doesn’t always know how to build on it, leaving some plot threads dangling like cobwebs.
And while the time loop is fun, it’s not always executed with the precision it needs. Some loops feel repetitive, and the rules of the curse are murky enough to make you squint at the screen like, “Wait, how does that work again?” Roger Ebert’s review hit the nail on the head: the film’s full of potential, but its lackluster execution can be frustrating. It’s like ordering a spooky pizza and getting one with half the toppings missing.
The Spooky Factor: Gory, Glorious Chaos
If you’re here for the gore, Until Dawn doesn’t skimp. Common Sense Media called it a “gory, game-based slasher,” and they’re not wrong. The kills are creative—think impalings, decapitations, and one particularly gnarly scene involving a chandelier that I won’t spoil. The wendigos are terrifying, with their skeletal frames and glowing eyes that make you want to sleep with the lights on. There’s a moment where one leaps out of the shadows, and I swear my soul left my body for a solid three seconds.
But the film balances the gore with humor, which keeps it from feeling like a grim slog. It’s like the movie’s saying, “Here’s a horrifying death, but also here’s a one-liner to make you laugh through the trauma.” It’s a delicate dance, and Until Dawn mostly pulls it off, though it occasionally stumbles into “too silly” territory. There’s a kill that’s so over-the-top it feels like it belongs in a cartoon, and I couldn’t decide if I loved it or rolled my eyes.
The Vibe: A Love Letter to Horror Fans
What makes Until Dawn special is its heart. It’s a love letter to horror fans, packed with Easter eggs for players of the game (keep an eye out for a certain totem that’ll make you squeal). @Lulamaybelle called it a “love letter to the genre,” and I felt that in my bones. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s sincere when it counts, sneaking in moments of character bonding that hit you right in the feels. There’s a scene where Sam and Mike share a quiet moment by the fire, talking about their fears, and it’s so human it almost makes you forget the monster outside. Almost.
The theater experience is where this movie shines. I can’t stress enough how much fun it is to watch with a crowd, gasping and laughing together. @billbria was right—you wanna see it with an audience. The collective screams during a wendigo chase scene were louder than my neighbor’s lawnmower, and the cheers when a character finally outsmarted the curse were electric.
The Verdict: A Flawed but Fun Fright Fest
So, is Until Dawn a horror masterpiece? Nah, it’s not rewriting the genre. It struggles to live up to the game’s eerie charm, as The Beta Network pointed out, and its script could use a few more drafts. But is it a blast? Absolutely. It’s a fun, scary, slightly shallow ride that delivers enough thrills and laughs to make it worth your ticket. The strong performances, creative kills, and nostalgic vibes make it a solid addition to the horror canon, even if it doesn’t always stick the landing.
If you’re a horror fan who loves a mix of scares and silliness, Until Dawn is your kind of party. Just don’t expect it to make total sense or avoid every cliché. Grab some friends, stock up on popcorn (and maybe a flashlight), and enjoy this wild, wendigo-filled romp. It’s the kind of movie that makes you jump, laugh, and check your closet before bed—just in case.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5 wendigo screams. It’s a bloody good time, but it could’ve been a little sharper with its axe.