The 2025 horror film Until Dawn feels like a nod to Prince of Persia. Like the sands of time that players used to change the outcome of game play. Of course this David F. Sandberg directed film bears no real semblance to the old video game. The “players” in this film face limitations, unlike the video game. There is a mechanical hourglass full of very fine white sand. However, they cannot use it to change their outcome.
Until Dawn: The Story
A small group of pals team up to find Melanie, Clover’s sister. Melanie went missing a year ago. They decide to follow her footsteps. The group end up in the town of Glore Valley. A petrol station/convenience store owner sends them there. Once the gang arrive, creepy things begin to happen to them all.
Death overtakes them all.
Until.
Until Dawn is Kind of Like
This film feels like a lot of other teen/horror/mystery stories out there. It feels a little like: Cabin in the Woods, Silent Hill, *fill in any Blumhouse title here.* And of course it may just feel a tad like the 2015 survival horror game of the same title. *Although filmmakers state that the story is a “standalone” title set in that verse.*
In reality, Until Dawn resembles quite a number of survival horror video games, not least of which is Siren. This latter game started off in PS2 and there are some scenes in this film that reek of that verse.
The biggest tie in to survival games is the characters’ ability to “re-spawn.” Or, in the case of Until Dawn starting over after each death when the hourglass turns.
The Main Cast
Ella Rubin is Clover.
Michael Cimino is Max.
Odessa A’zion is Nina.
Ji-young Yoo is Megan.
Belmont Cameli is Abe.
Maia Mitchell is Melanie.
Peter Stormare is Dr Hill.
*A side note here about Stormare. He does what he does best here. The actor is given a part that is best described as a peripheral lynch pin. He connects, as it were, the bits together. What he specialises in is exuding a certain menace and aura of danger.*
Until Dawn Works
The film works. Despite the feeling that we have all been here before. The kills are gruesome, bloody and, in some cases, over the top. Our heroes and heroines just squeak outside the two dimensional cardboard cutouts they could have been.
Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler write this screenplay of the movie, nee video game. *IMDb.com give this pair sole credit. Completely bypassing the game’s authors: Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick. In an article by Game Spot, (April 2025) the pair were apparently not surprised at this snub.
Until Dawn Move Along
The storyline is repetitive. The cast die repeatedly only to be brought back for more death and mayhem. However, the pacing rocks. At no time does the action drag. There are spots with giant plot holes however. But as a wise man once said, “Horror does not have make sense to be scary” (sic).
There are enough jump scares to classify this one as scary.
Until Dawn The Verdict
Until Dawn earns a cool 4 stars. Those pesky plot holes lost the film one whole star. It is an enjoyable, albeit, viscera exposing, romp through a scary doomed village. The film can be rented or purchased via the usual streaming platforms. I watched it on Prime.
The Trailer
