Review: A Series of Long Nights in the “Until Dawn” Film

A Series of Long Nights in the Until Dawn Film

Introduction

Films have long captured the imagination of artists as well as viewers. As a medium through which stories are told visually, it has the power to heighten the experience of virtually all productions that walk its path through quality acting, judicious special effects and creative teams committed to their collective craft. Conversely, films can fall short of captivating their audience’s attention. The horror genre is a prime example as its entries tend to, as has been done since their inception, face regular mixed reviews. Until Dawn is one such exemplar, with its tale of survival, psychological perseverance and supernatural terror achieving certain ends while neglecting others in what shapes up to be a largely enjoyable movie for, albeit with some caveats, for gamers as well as horror fans.

A Brief History of Until Dawn

Before exploring the dark machinations of the inner mind in Until Dawn, it is helpful to note some key bits of its history, starting with the source game. Released on the PlayStation 4 (PS4) in 2015, this game introduced a first-party survival horror story with a unique premise: survive the night at a ruinous mountain getaway or die and return to relive the experience. Essentially, this game’s plot centers on eight young adults who return to a family lodge on Blackwood Mountain, the same place where their two twin sister friends disappeared one year before. Through cutscenes, exploration, quick-time events (QTEs) and a butterfly effect system that records each choice the characters make, the action unfolds. Along the way, the cast encounters a number of horrors and dangers, and making the wrong decision can lead to permanent death before dawn, with hundreds of endings available as the outcomes of 22 significant choices players can make.

No additional games were released, making Until Dawn the only entry. As such, this year’s film is the first adaptation. Authorized by PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures, this movie is also the third of its kind to see a theatrical run, following 2022’s Uncharted and 2023’s Gran Turismo, a treasure hunting action-adventure and racing drama, respectively. Given Sony’s run of these works as well as the popular The Last of Us HBO series and Twisted Metal Peacock show, it is clear video game screen adaptations are successful — which is excellent for fans. One detail the future will reveal is what other beloved titles will make it to viewers’ screens in live-action format.

Story Overview: Can You Survive the Night?

This movie opens with Clover searching for Melanie, her missing sister. Helping her are ex-boyfriend Max, friends Megan and Nina and Abe, Nina’s boyfriend. After speaking with a gas station attendant who tells Clover people tend to go missing in Glore Valley, the nearby mining town, the group goes there. Heavy rainfall, however, forces them to enter the nearby visitor center for shelter.

Inside the visitor center, Abe discovers a wall of missing individuals, with Melanie being one of them. Concurrently, Nina signs the guestbook, which contains names of people who stayed there for no more than 13 nights at most. The group then heads downstairs, finding another house there. Each friend is then killed in a different way. Surprisingly, they all wake up back on the first night, this time with new guestbook signatures as well as their own missing person posters added to the board. These details, along with the giant hourglass that resets each morning after all its sand reaches the bottom half, reveal the the friends are reliving the night, with each one ending in a different, gruesome death. Unless they can find a way to break this vicious cycle and escape the area by surviving, well, until dawn, they will repeat the same night 13 times, after which their deaths become permanent. From this moment forward, the group faces a gauntlet of challenges, ranging from a masked killer and an evil witch to menacing psychiatrist Dr. Alan Hill and zombie-esque creatures called Wendigos — former humans trapped in the town who turned into corpse-like beings from all the physical and psychological torture they endured.

This film stays mostly true to the game upon which it is based, albeit with slight alterations. There are two immediately noticeable differences, though: five characters comprise the main cast instead of the game’s eight, and deaths are not permanent but rather reset at the end of each unsuccessful night. Moreover, these characters are different from those found in the game, and the setting is Glore Valley, a dilapidated mining town, instead of Blackwood Mountain. Similarly, some of the deaths the characters experience differ from those in the game. Gone as well are the appearances of Dr. Hill and his analysis of the choices made between chapters, reflecting players’ fears, decisions and consequences — replaced by a couple brief scenes featuring him in this movie, which is understandable, given the comparatively linear narrative. These creative liberties aside, the basic concept of going through psychological turmoil. Although not all the elements of the game remain in this film, what does still strikes fear into viewers’ hearts.

Strengths: Often Fear-Inducing, Nods to Classic Horror Tropes and Enticement to Watch through the Ending

Being a horror movie based on a horror game, it is paramount it is scary. Like the 2015 original, this film accomplishes this expectation — otherwise, could it really be considered horror? With the frightful situations and creepy conundrums the group navigates, there is no dearth of dirigible-sized scares. Truly, viewers will appreciate all the psychological horror and jumpscares found throughout this title as the characters make their way through this nightmare.

One of the shining strengths here is the diverse mix of dangers and deaths the friends face each night. From a masked killer to a Wendigo attack, viewers are sure to like what they see. In these moments, numerous references to classic horror ideas come to light. For example, the aforementioned masked killer is reminiscent of slasher stars like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, while the Wendigos hearken back to George Romero-type zombies. In this sense, there is something for many types of horror fans, a fact that only strengthens this work’s appeal.

That this movie also succeeds in keeping viewers engaged until the finish is representative of its storytelling ability. Throughout it, Clover and her friends uncover new details that further the plot. What they find is genuinely intriguing, and the result is the audience staying with the group to see what ends up happening, at least if just to learn whether Clover finds closure.

Weaknesses: Lack of Character Depth, Genre Clichés and Uneven Cast Screen Time

Although this film is solid as far as horror works go, it is far from perfect. One reason that becomes progressively apparent throughout this story is the lack of character depth. Namely, viewers know Clover is looking for her missing sister, and that her friends are there to support her for their own reasons. Beyond this underlying concept, however, relevant information is scant. What, for instance, does each friend do when not spending nights at abandoned mining towns? Why, specifically, did each one choose to accompany Clover — beyond simply wanting to help her heal? What are some of these characters’ aspirations in their lives? It is questions like these that emerge yet are never answered fully.

There is a fine line between incorporating into one’s work aspects of classic horror to accentuate the experience and copying them blatantly. Curiously, what is one of this movie’s greatest assets is also one of its most glaring drawbacks. Whereas the nods included astutely heighten the joy of watching this title, those that are thrown in somewhat arbitrarily detract from the action. For example, one scene involves the friends dying from contaminated water, with everyone exploding in spectacular fashion. Megan’s dies after her stomach expands beyond the point of compression, a moment that seems to reference Rosmary’s Baby, or even Alien, but it is overshadowed by the unceremonious cacophony of flying innards in the room. To add to this shortcoming, the old-as-time-itself trope of the lead characters being relatively clueless, at least until the end, is played up shamelessly throughout this story. Sure, the first time may be passable and the situation tense, but viewers will likely scratch their heads in wonder as they consider how some of the friends do and say what is shown. The friends can claim ignorance only for so long before watching it becomes repetitive.

Regarding the group, an asymmetrical division of screen time shows a clear preference for certain characters. For instance, Megan, arguably one of Clover’s coolest friends, is depicted as a unique, somewhat perky, free spirit of a young woman in no relationship — in contrast to the others, who either follow their love interests blindly or evidence little ability to think critically for themselves. Sadly, she is somewhat relegated to the background for a time until the last night, when she is again put into the limelight. By contrast, Clover, and often Max, are given prime screen time, with the former’s fear and uncertainty and the latter’s longing to rekindle the flame that had fueled their former relationship pushing them to persist through the nights. Despite some of these questionable character decisions, though, none of the friends ever become caricatures of themselves — although Max’s pursuit of Clover and Abe’s occasionally pugnacious personality come close — meaning this work always retains its credibility.

Conclusion and Score

Until Dawn is a fun adaptation of the 2015 game. While it changes some aspects to better suit the narrative as well as format, the psychological survival horror that constituted the game’s core is largely found throughout this production, just with differences. In particular, this movie’s use of fear to propel its plot forward, references to classic horror hijinks and points that urge viewers to remain to learn if Clover and her friends live drive home its hold over the audience. Unfortunately, its shortcomings of little character depth, some horror tropes being either wasted or implemented myopically and greater focus on Clover than the others sully the viewing experience to some extent. In the end, however, watching this production is ghoulishly good time, and fans of horror games and films alike will savor what they see.

Pros:

Often provides a scary setting
Certain references to classic horror enhance the story
Plot is exciting enough to warrant watching until the end

Con:

Characters lack detailed backstories beyond what is given
Certain hackneyed scenes exist
Some characters are given preferential treatment

Score: 7/10

Standout Quote

“Every night a different nightmare — Can you stay alive?” — Official theatrical release movie poster

Film Information

Title: Until Dawn
Starring: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Carneli, Maia Mitchell, Peter Stormare
Directors: David F. Sandberg
Production Companies: PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures, Screen Gems
Release Date: 25 April 2025
Series: Until Dawn

References/Further Reading

To learn more about the Until Dawn film as well as the game, please visit the following links:

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this review as well as throughout this blog belong solely to Lord Trichechus Rosmarus of Premier Polygon Productions. Consequently, they represent the perspectives only of these entities and in no way aim to disparage the artists’ works cited.