Until Dawn
Genre: Horror, Supernatural
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo
Release Date: April 25, 2025
Platform: Theater
Rating: 2.5/5
By Crystal Justine
“UNTIL DAWN is pure shallow entertainment.”
UNTIL DAWN is the kind of horror film that entertains but leaves you with more questions than answers. Directed by David F. Sandberg, whose previous works, Lights Out and Shazam!, have shown to have split audiences. This film may be the same as it throws a fresh crop of young talent into an ever-shifting unexplainable nightmare. Imagine being trapped in a remote location where death is inevitable, only to have everything reset each time you’re killed. A new threat emerges each night, from masked killers to supernatural beasts. It’s a wild ride of gore, suspense, and creature creations, but underneath the thrills, the film struggles to give its characters and story any depth. Still, if you’re looking for a fun, gory, horror experience, UNTIL DAWN might just be what you’re after.
The most striking aspect of UNTIL DAWN is its visual appeal. From the first frame, you can’t help but think, “Wow, this must’ve been so much fun to make.” Whether it’s the director, the cinematographer, the actors, or the practical effects team, everyone involved clearly had a blast exploring the many facets of horror. The film’s concept offers endless creative opportunities. Each night, the threats change; one moment, it’s a masked serial killer stalking them in slasher fashion, and the next, it’s a supernatural monster. This constantly shifting danger allows the filmmakers to dive into different horror sub-genres. The film could have went a lot farther with different creatures and ways to die, but only so much can be done within budget.
As far as performances go, the cast delivers decent work despite underwhelming and often cringe dialogue. The script leans toward the predictable, with characters speaking in lines that feel like they’ve been seen a hundred times before. But the actors do their best to elevate the material, and overall, the delivery is fine. Ella Rubin, as Clover, gets a little more depth in the film’s third act, but ultimately, her character, along with her companions, remains fairly flat. None of the characters truly stand out, except for Megan (Ji-young Yoo), whose unique ability adds an extra layer of intrigue. That said, the film does attempt to explore the themes of friendship and perseverance in the face of danger, but the characters never quite reach a level where the audience feels invested in their fates.
The concept itself, while promising, leaves much to be desired. The premise is engaging, but the execution falters. The narrative is often clunky, especially when it comes to explaining how the central concept works. The revelation of the film’s big bad leaves more questions than answers, which could leave viewers feeling unsatisfied.
While I haven’t personally played the Until Dawn video game, it’s hard to ignore the reactions from fans of the game. Many seem less than thrilled with the film, expressing feelings of underwhelm and disappointment. It appears that the production company relied heavily on the name Until Dawn to draw in die-hard fans, but without sticking to any meaningful elements of the source material. Instead of a faithful adaptation, it seems like the film merely used the game’s reputation as a hook, leaving many fans feeling like they were promised one thing and given something entirely different.
UNTIL DAWN doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a fun trip that channels the vibes of late-90s, early-2000s horror flicks. It’s got plenty of gore and some pretty impressive kills. Sure, it’s predictable at times, but if you’re the type to enjoy the ride even when you can see what’s coming, UNTIL DAWN will still give you some fun moments.
At the end of the day, UNTIL DAWN is not for everyone. The dialogue is awful, the characters are forgettable, and the movie constantly breaks its own rules. Nothing really makes sense if you think about it for more than a second, so please don’t. UNTIL DAWN is pure shallow entertainment. Go for the gore and the kills, not for the plot. If you’re looking for a quick thrill that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one is worth checking out, whether it’s in theaters or streaming.
