Until Dawn (2025): A Gory, Ambitious Horror Misstep That Falls Short of Its Potential
Released on April 25, 2025, Until Dawn is a Hollywood horror film directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation), adapting the 2015 PlayStation video game of the same name. Penned by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler, this R-rated, 103-minute slasher trades the game’s snowy mountain lodge and choice-driven narrative for a time-loop nightmare in Glore Valley, where five friends face gruesome deaths night after night. Starring Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, and Belmont Cameli, with Peter Stormare in a menacing supporting role, the film aims to blend slasher tropes with a Groundhog Day-style twist. Despite its creative kills and competent direction, Until Dawn stumbles with a muddled script, shallow characters, and an unfaithful adaptation that leaves both game fans and casual viewers wanting more. This 800-word review explores its highs, lows, and why it’s a frustrating yet intermittently fun horror ride.
A Time-Loop Horror with a Promising Setup
Until Dawn follows Clover (Ella Rubin), a grieving young woman searching for her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell), who vanished a year ago after their mother’s death. Joined by her ex-boyfriend Max (Michael Cimino), friends Nina (Odessa A’zion), Megan (Ji-young Yoo), and Nina’s boyfriend Abe (Belmont Cameli), Clover retraces Melanie’s last steps to Glore Valley, a mysterious town where people frequently disappear. A creepy gas station clerk (Peter Stormare) warns them off, but a rainstorm forces the group to seek shelter in an abandoned visitor center, eerily untouched by the surrounding deluge. Inside, they’re hunted by a masked slasher, only to awaken each night in a time loop, facing new horrors—wendigos, witches, explosive water, and more—until they can survive until dawn.
The film’s premise, inspired by the game’s interactive survival horror, swaps player agency for a repetitive death cycle, aiming to deliver “multiple horror movies in one”. Each loop introduces a new threat, from knife-wielding killers to supernatural creatures, promising a fresh take on the genre. Critics note its ambition to homage classics like The Cabin in the Woods and Happy Death Day, with Sandberg’s direction occasionally shining in tense sequences, like a found-footage montage or a bathroom explosion scene that evokes Scanners. However, the execution falters, as the film struggles to balance its genre-hopping with coherent storytelling.
Performances and Chemistry: A Mixed Bag
The ensemble cast is a highlight, bringing likability to thinly written characters. Ella Rubin’s Clover carries the emotional weight of loss, but her arc feels underdeveloped, with critics noting she’s “not quite up to the task” of anchoring the film’s heavy-handed themes. Ji-young Yoo stands out as Megan, a clairvoyant whose quirky insight adds depth, earning praise as the only character with a distinct personality. Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, and Belmont Cameli deliver solid performances, with their group dynamic feeling like genuine friends who care for each other—a refreshing departure from typical slasher “types”. Peter Stormare’s brief role as Dr. Hill, a sinister figure tied to the time loop, leaves a mark, though his character’s motivations are murky.
Despite their chemistry, the script gives the cast little to work with beyond fear and trauma, resulting in “one-note performances” and “clunky dialogue”. The film’s attempt to explore Clover’s grief and fear feels shallow, with psychological elements borrowed from the game—where Dr. Hill probes players’ fears—reduced to a confusing third-act monologue. Fans of the game may appreciate Easter eggs, like Megan’s “hold your breath” moment mimicking the game’s QuickTime events, but these feel like afterthoughts in a largely unfaithful adaptation.
Visuals and Scares: Creative but Repetitive
Sandberg’s horror credentials shine in moments of visual flair. Maxime Alexandre’s cinematography, though criticized as “under-lit and flat”, creates an oppressive atmosphere, with clever use of light and shadow, like a blinking traffic light signaling jump scares. The practical effects are a standout, delivering “nastiest and gnarliest kills” of 2025, from exploding limbs to axe-to-head gore. Benjamin Wallfisch’s minimal score adds tension, though the editing by Michel Aller feels functional, struggling with the film’s uneven pacing.
The time-loop structure, while innovative, grows repetitive, with each cycle’s new threat—slashers, wendigos, witches—lacking variety or narrative payoff. Critics argue the film’s “kitchen sink approach” overwhelms, with ideas “sanded down” into generic horror tropes. The explosive water sequence is a highlight, but most deaths rely on “sharp piercing soft” violence, missing the inventive edge of the game’s choice-driven scares. The climax, meant to tie the loops together, feels “rushed and anticlimactic,” leaving plot threads—like Megan’s powers—unresolved.
A Disappointing Adaptation
For fans of the 2015 game, Until Dawn is a letdown. The game’s strength lay in its interactive “butterfly effect,” where player choices shaped the fate of eight teens in a snowy lodge, blending slasher and supernatural horror with cheeky humor. The film abandons this, shifting to a new setting and characters, with only loose ties to the game via Dr. Hill and wendigo appearances. Critics call it a “misunderstanding of the universe” Supermassive Games created, trading emotional stakes for a “jumbled rotation of clowns-and-kooks randomness”. The game’s playful tone is replaced by a self-serious approach, making it feel like a “generic horror movie” rather than a love letter to the source.
Reception and Box Office
With a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 48/100 on Metacritic, Until Dawn has mixed reviews, praised for its gore and cast but criticized for its “confusingly vague” writing and lack of scares. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore and 63% on PostTrak, with 42% recommending it. It grossed $20.8 million globally against a $15 million budget, a modest success but overshadowed by stronger horror releases like Sinners. X posts reflect divided sentiment, with some praising the “creative kills” and “tense climax” while others call it “forgettable” and a “Hollywood gaming insult”.
Should You Watch It?
Until Dawn is a bloody, occasionally fun horror flick for genre fans craving gory kills and a no-frills scarefest, but it falls short of its potential. Sandberg’s direction and the cast’s chemistry offer fleeting thrills, but the muddled script, repetitive scares, and unfaithfulness to the game make it a frustrating watch. If you’re new to the franchise, it’s a passable B-movie; if you’re a game fan, it’s a disappointing departure. Catch it for the practical effects, but don’t expect the game’s depth or wit.
Rating: 2.5/5
