Until Dawn: From Video Game to Horror Film
- Every Media Productions
- Aug 18, 2025
- 2 min read
The cult-favorite horror game gets a cinematic upgrade, trapping its characters in a deadly time loop.
By Fábio Borges, at WonderCon 2025 in Anaheim.
First released in 2015, the hit video game Until Dawn won over players with its mix of horror, high-stakes choices, and ’80s-style suspense. Now, the chilling story is making the leap to the big screen in a cinematic adaptation that promises to push the terror to a whole new level. Cast members and producers unveiled the project at WonderCon, the pop culture convention held in Anaheim, California.
In the film, a year after the mysterious disappearance of Melanie, her sister Clover and a group of friends head to a remote valley searching for answers. What begins as an investigation quickly turns into a nightmare: while exploring an abandoned visitor center, they’re hunted by a masked killer and brutally murdered, one by one. But death is not the end.
Each time they wake up, they find themselves trapped in an endless loop, reliving the same terrifying night over and over. With every attempt at survival, the threat shifts, becoming even more unpredictable. Time is running out, lives are limited and the only goal is to make it… until dawn.
Director David Sandberg (Lights Out, Shazam!) praised the screenwriters for crafting a fresh story rather than simply retelling the original game’s plot. While the game’s outcome depends on player choices, the film twists the formula: in this version, characters come back to life after each death, only to face increasingly dangerous and surreal challenges.
Producer Lotta Losten recalled that from the very start, the cast knew they were signing up for physically and emotionally intense scenes. Despite the grueling shoots, she says the energy on set was electric, fueled by the cast’s commitment to the project.
Stars Ella Rubin and Michael Cimino, who lead the film, noted that while the characters differ from those in the game, they preserve the spirit of a close-knit group struggling to survive. Cimino stressed that the movie remains firmly rooted in the Until Dawn universe and will appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. “The film is a true love letter to the game,” he said.
Co-stars Ji-young Yoo, Odessa A’zion, and Belmont Cameli promise the movie will be just as immersive as the gaming experience. “Audiences will feel like they’re inside the story just like playing the game,” they said.
More than just a standard horror flick, Until Dawn explores themes of time, choice and consequence, creating a tense, emotional ride from start to finish.
About the Author
Fábio Borges is an award-winning international journalist and founder of Every Media Productions. Since 1996, he has reported from the Americas, Europe and Asia, producing over 4,000 news stories.
