Until Dawn Movie Review: An Adaptation Of The Video Game

Until Dawn hit cinemas globally on April 25, 2025, distributed by Sony Pictures. Just a quick spoiler, if you just recovered from Ryan Coogler’s emotionally intense and intellectually layered horror Sinners, brace yourself because Until Dawn is nothing like that. This movie doesn’t aim to change your life. With its R rating, it just wants to entertain you with blood, chaos, and a little sprinkle of wendigo mythology.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Until Dawn is a loose adaptation of the iconic video game released in 2015. When I say loose, I mean don’t walk into this expecting the same storylines, but you’ll definitely feel the game’s essence in certain parts.

Premise

Clover (Ella Rubin) is on a desperate mission to find her missing sister, Melanie, who went missing months ago, being desperately in need of closure, coupled with the fact that she had just lost her mother, Clover embarked on this journey hoping she finds the answers she seeks.

Clover is joined by her ex-boyfriend Max (Michael Cimino) who only tagged along because he hoped they might get back together, her best friend Nina (Odessa A’zion) who happens to be their because she does not want to be away from her friends, they have been through alot together. Nina’s hot-headed boyfriend Abe (Belmont Cameli) just because Nina was there, he needed to be by her side, and the group’s spiritual antenna, Megan (Ji-young Yoo) who is also part of the journey because of the friendship bond they share.

What starts off as a road trip to trace Melanie’s last steps spirals into something way darker and way weirder. Their journey leads them to Glore Valley, a seemingly dead mining town with secrets buried under its surface, quite literally. A heavy rainfall traps them in an old visitor center that feels like it came straight out of a fever dream.

Everything went down the hill the moment Nina inked her name on a visitors’ check in book, their horror began the moment an hourglass started reading and would reset for them to relive the horror all over again. They had only thirteen nights to figure a way out before they vanished forever.

Each night resets with new chaos. From possessed friends to exploding bathroom scenes, the gang is pulled deeper into the curse of Glore Valley. The loop isn’t just a gimmick, it’s a countdown. And if they don’t uncover the truth soon, they’ll all become part of the night… permanently.

Cast and Performances

Ella Rubin as Clover Paul, let’s start with the queen of bad decisions. Clover is that friend who drags everyone into a mess, but you still root for her. Ella Rubin brought depth to a character who’s grieving, selfish, stubborn, but deeply human. Her need for closure drives the film, and even when she makes you scream “Girl, why?”, you understand her pain.

Michael Cimino as Max, the guy who is trying to survive a supernatural nightmare but still finds time to win back his ex. Priorities, right? Cimino plays Max as a soft, conflicted distraction, annoying in moments, but essential to Clover’s emotional arc. Their chemistry is sweet, even when everything else is bloody.

Odessa A’zion as Nina Riley, Nina is that friend who actually uses her brain. Odessa stole the spotlight with a performance that balanced fear, rage, and practicality. If I had to pick a final girl, it would’ve been her. Her relationship with Abe felt forced, though like an unnecessary subplot, but her individual scenes? Chef’s kiss.

Belmont Cameli as Abe, Abe was intense. He was ready to ditch the moment things got weird, and honestly, I respect that. His relationship with Nina didn’t really carry emotional weight, but he served the purpose of adding tension and conflict, especially when survival instincts kicked in.

Ji-young Yoo as Megan, now Megan the underrated MVP. Megan’s spiritual awareness, rituals, and eerie calm made her one of my favorite characters. Ji-young made the supernatural elements of the story feel believable. Her tragic experiences did hurt; she was that one character who carried the plot really well, but ended up with the most horrific experiences.

What I Liked

I walked into the theatre with my expectations in check because game-to-movie adaptations rarely hit the mark. But Until Dawn surprised me. It didn’t copy the game frame by frame, but you could see the inspiration in the setting, the loop concept, and of course, the terrifying wendigos.

Let’s talk about the visuals. The creature design? Chilling. The Wendigos could use a little polish in the mouth area, but overall, they were scary enough to haunt my dreams. The VHS tape reveal was creepy and brilliant. That moment where you realize Glore Valley sank, and now the ghosts of its history are haunting the living, pure horror gold.

I also appreciated the open ending. It screams sequel. And with the horror world lacking solid wendigo content, Until Dawn might just kick off a whole new horror subgenre, hopefully.

What I Didn’t Like

The marketing and I am being honest. This movie should not have been sold as a direct adaptation of the Until Dawn game. I walked in expecting the real crew — Sam, Josh, Mike, and Hayden Panettiere’s iconic Emily — and instead got a whole new storyline. A smarter move would have been to say this film was inspired by Until Dawn, connected loosely through the lore, and titled it something different.

Also, Dr. Hill’s storyline felt undercooked. He was such a core part of the game’s psychological tension, and here? He was just… there. The time loop mechanics were cool, but explaining the rest of the nights through Abe’s phone? Weak. It felt like the writers got tired halfway through and decided to speedrun the mystery.

And don’t even get me started on some of the characters’ dumb decisions. I know horror needs suspense, thank goodness for Nina, I would have left the theatre utterly pissed.

Verdict

Until Dawn is far from perfect, but it’s a wild ride. It delivers horror, nostalgia, and some truly jaw-dropping moments even if it doesn’t always make sense. It’s not the same as the plot in the video game, but it has its spirit. That’s enough for me to recommend it to horror lovers and game fans alike.

Just remember to go in with medium expectations, enjoy the madness, and hope the next installment gives us the adaptation we deserve.