Sony Pictures has released the official trailer for Until Dawn, the film based on the famous horror video game. The original title, launched in 2015 on PlayStation 4, won over players with its gripping plot and mechanics of choices that influence the fate of the characters. Until Dawn featured a “butterfly effect” system where players must make choices that can change the story. Depending on the choices made, all playable characters have the chance to survive or die. Now, the film is preparing to bring the terrifying atmosphere and suspense of the game to the big screen, with an addition that promises to make the experience even more disturbing: a time loop.
The film tells the story of Clover and her friends who, a year after the mysterious disappearance of her sister Melanie, travel to the remote valley where the disappearance occurred in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves hunted by a masked killer and are gruesomely murdered one by one, only to wake up to find themselves earlier that same evening. Trapped in the valley, they are forced to relive the nightmare over and over again, but each time the killer’s threat is different, more terrifying than the previous one. With hope dwindling, the group soon realizes that they have a limited number of “lives” left and that the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
Bringing these characters trapped in a time loop to life is a cast of talented young actors, including Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli and Maia Mitchell. The cast also includes Peter Stormare, known for his roles in films such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The film is directed by David F. Sandberg, director of Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out, and written by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, the latter known for having written films such as It and the Annabelle series. Sandberg stated that the film has a similar tone and feel to the game, but “expands the universe” of the original. An interesting aspect of the film is its ability to blend different horror genres within the time loop. Each time the characters relive the night, the atmosphere and threats change, offering a varied and unpredictable horror experience. Until Dawn will be released in theaters on April 25, 2025, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
