One year after her sister disappeared, Clover and her friends head to the remote valley where she vanished to search for answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they soon encounter a masked killer who murders them one by one. However, when they mysteriously wake up at the beginning of the same night, they're forced to relive the terror over and over again.
Director: David F. Sandberg
Cast: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Peter Stormare
Release Date: April 25, 2025
Genre: Drama, Horror
Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, gore and language throughout.
Runtime: 1h 43m
Review:
Until Dawn is a fun horror mashup of countless 80's slasher tropes paired with a gorier version of Edge of Tomorrow's rinse and repeat conceit. Since I'm not personally familiar with the game this film is based on, I can't speak to how this works as an adaptation but as a horror film it has a wickedly fun tone that embraces the bloody carnage on display. Once the film sets up the general premise, director David F. Sandberg moves the action along at a steady pace by delivering a string of effective jump scares and inventive kills. A handful of those moments are truly inspired and sure to make old school gore hounds grin with glee as the splatter hits the screen. There are a few that don't work quite as well but the film moves by them so quickly that it doesn't negatively impact on the overall experience too badly. The cast of fresh-faced actors is well aware of the kind of film they’re in and lean into their roles with a knowing wink and just have fun with it. The script is a bit clunky in spots with cast doing their best to deliver convincing reads of slow rolled realizations and revelations. Ella Rubin makes for a fine lead while the supporting cast is capable even if the script doesn't give them a ton of depth. There isn't much to them and if any of the characters annoy you too much there's the fallback of watching them die multiple times. Odessa A'zion with her raspy voice, green eyes and messy hair leaves the most noticeable impression of ensemble that feels vaguely reminiscent of late 90's slashers like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend. Long-time character actor, Peter Stormare feels terribly underutilized here, which feels like a misstep since he could have brought so much more to his role. Missteps aside, Until Dawn is like cinematic fast food that makes for a bit of a mindless treat for horror fans.
B-
