“Until Dawn” (2025) loosely adapts the PlayStation Studios’ 2015 video game with the same title. When Mel (Maia Mitchell) goes missing, her sister, Clover (Ella Rubin, who resembles Rachel Weisz), childhood friends, Megan (Ji-young Yoo), Max (Michael Cimino) and Nina (Odessa A’zion), and Nina’s psych major boyfriend, Abe (Belmont Cameli), go on a road trip to look for Mel through Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, they discover exactly what happened to her and get stuck in a time loop that started on October 24, 1998. It appears that no one survived after thirteen nights if you get killed. Will the group find a way to escape and move forward in life? Y’all, it was good.
“Until Dawn” features characters that you do not want to die and are not interchangeable though initially they seem like the usual forgettable young adults. Clover is not doing great after two major tragedies, and her friends have no idea how to help her move on, so they just stay close to make sure that she is not a danger to herself. Oops, that did not work. Max used to date Clover and is obviously still smitten. Megan is kind of psychic, which means this situation will be especially torturous for her. Nina has been male centered since she was a child, and Abe is the unlucky fellow to be dating her at the wrong time and own a car. The ensemble cast do a lot of leg work to personalize the characters, and they definitely evolve over the course of the film, which was unexpected going into the movie blind. The strongest element of this movie is the solid foundation of their friendship, and their willingness to live and die for each other. Usually there is a final girl, but survival is a group project.
“Until Dawn” has numerous narrative tensions baked into the script. How will they die? What happens in thirteen days? What is causing this phenomenon? How do they get out? Will anyone make it? All these questions get answered in addition to the personal goals set for these characters to become better individuals. Will Clover be able to focus more on her future and found family than get literally and figuratively stuck in the past? Will Max learn how to love Clover selflessly instead of prioritizing his needs and agenda over her own? Will Megan learn how to develop her gifts without letting her talent destroy her so she can help people? This storyline should have been emphasized more, but then she would displace Clover as the de facto protagonist, which would not have necessarily been a bad thing. Will Nina stop being a pick me, stand on her own and prioritize her friends? Abe just wants to get out of there, and if he survives, he should get out of that group. Regardless of age, these struggles are incredibly relatable and universal, which is probably why so many take it for granted and think the roles are cookie cutter, but they are not. How do you love well, prioritize the people that love you and get over grief?
The horror in “Until Dawn” is solid unless you were expecting more variety than a masked killer credited as psycho (Tibor Szauervein, who has amazing audible stomping skills), killer humanoids with sharp teeth and a creepy old lady, the Glore Witch (Mariann Hermány). I’ve never played the game, but apparently people thought that each night would feature a different genre in horror. Well, if you do not have that expectation, the movie is great. Yes, the imagery is familiar, but the logic and trajectory of how each threat works is surprising. If you saw a creepy old woman, do not tell me that you expected what happened because you are a liar. I kind of saw the explanation coming because I watch too many movies, but it really worked for me. What does need work: the explanation regarding why one or two people are able to navigate the loop without falling prey to it. Normally prose dumps in movies are annoying, and usually if a script explains what is happening, it needs more time on the drafting board, but it worked here, especially since the actor who plays this character is the GOAT of horror atmosphere so he could read the ingredients in a recipe and make it sound portentous.
“Until Dawn” dovetails nicely with the humor in “Clown in a Cornfield” (2025), specifically the use of analog devices like rotary phones, VHS players, tube televisions, guest books (instead of digital check-ins), security surveillance video and hour glasses to heighten the horror. Mental deterioration is reflected in the changes in their signatures over time, which feels like a shout out to the first season of “Hannibal.” These teens have no problem using outdated technology, and the machines work. The VHS clip had a found footage/fake documentary vibe to it, which is a classic, beloved horror staple. Add tenebrous atmosphere with the name of the phenomenon’s location, Glore Valley, which means “to stare intently” valley. As the movie continues, it shifts to cell phone footage, which was a nice way to speed up the story to avoid feeling monotonous and endless. If the film has a slight flaw, each time that a person dies, they look worse for the wear, but their cell phones never lose battery life. Respawning comes at an increasingly expensive price.
“Until Dawn” combines “The Vanishing” (1988), “Silent Hill” (2006), “The Endless” (2017) with a dash of “Doll Eyes” (2021) and “Storm of the Century” (1999). There are visual shout outs to Sam Raimi’s horror films. Please note that the Centralia mine fire inspired “Silent Hill.” Unrelated to Centralia, urban legends claim that the gates of hell are located on Toad Road in Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania, which is bordering on Appalachia and near a sanitorium. While the movie’s narrative does not explicitly reference this American folklore, hopefully a lot of people will come to the movie with this knowledge, which will enhance enjoyment of the film. It is part of a long line of American horror.
Like the television series “Supernatural,” “Until Dawn” draws from indigenous legends, but a part of that legend is not to say the name of that spirit because it can draw them to you. Unless you are familiar with the game, this possession storyline will be unexpected even if you are familiar with the legend. There is not a lot online about indigenous people’s displeasure over PlayStation’s appropriation, which also takes liberties with the legend and treats them more like zombies. While I enjoyed the movie, if I went into it knowing this part of the story, out of respect, I may have avoided it even though it is undeniably good so treat this review like a warning. There is no indication that the filmmakers consulted with the Cree to make this movie.
“Until Dawn” is a better than average horror film unless you expected a faithful adaptation of the game. If you belong in the latter category, skip it. If you watch a lot of movies, it is easy to pinpoint when an excellent movie suddenly down shifts and becomes flawed. Come out the gate too strong, and you will lose people if you cannot maintain the pace. Go on too long, and people will stop caring. This film understood the assignment: be consistent, entertain and under promise, over deliver.
