In 2015, Until Dawn was the video game that dared to put horror fans to the test, asking if they had what it took to survive a slasher movie. Written by indie horror icon Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, this Supermassive Game put players in the shoes of a band of teen friends, who reconvene at an icy and remote mountain cabin on the anniversary of a horrid prank, which led to two of their friends going missing. Now, something’s in the woods and out for blood. And as players switch characters and make life-and-death decisions, the biggest question is who will survive until dawn.
Sony published the hit game and is now producing the movie adaptation, which tweaks the premise, setting, and characters to give audiences something unexpected.
Here’s the official synopsis from Sony Entertainment:
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the nightmare again and again — only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
In the first look above, writer/producer Gary Dauberman and director David F. Sandberg give us a glimpse at what this Until Dawn has in store — including that the movie will show us ways the characters could die (like the totems in the game?), and then as Sandberg puts it, “things start over and they get to try again.” Will working this game mechanic into the game make for fresh thrills? We can’t wait to find out.
Where the original game starred the likes of Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Jordan Fisher, the movie version reveals a new slate of stars: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, and Maia Mitchell. And seemingly reprising his role as Dr. Alan J. Hill is the dependably unnerving Peter Stormare.
Until Dawn is coming to theaters in 2025.
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