Summary
Until Dawnis one of the last console generation’s most successful horror games. Released bydeveloper Supermassive Gamesin 2015, the game blended the old-school slasher horror, folk horror, and the then-highly-popular branched storytelling genre of games. Now, in 2024, the title is back in the news with the announcement of anUntil Dawnmovie adaptation from Screen Gems and PlayStation Productions. TheUntil Dawnfilm packs a ton of potential, as its original iteration seems tailored for the big screen, but one trend among similar adaptions could threaten to take the film in another direction. PlayStation’sUntil Dawnmovie can’t be an adaptation in name alone.
Until Dawntells the story of eight friends who head to Blackwood Mountain on the first anniversary of sisters Hannah and Beth Washington’s disappearance. Within hours of their arrival, the event devolves into an all-out horror mystery, with an unknown assailant hunting the group one by one. With tensions high and relationships in flux, players are tasked with ensuring that all eight characters survive the night and don’t turn on each other while facing its horrors. However, all is not what it appeared to be on Blackwood Mountain, and players later discover some shocking truths surrounding the sisters' disappearance.
One Hollywood Trend Threatens to Derail the Until Dawn Movie
Adapting pre-existing properties for the big screen has become common in the modern landscape. However, few do it well, especially when adapting games to film. While open premises, like those belonging toSuper Mario,Werewolves Within, andMortal Kombat, can be interpreted in several ways, as long as core characters, environments, and universal rules are maintained. Rather, more complicated or set-in-stone narratives struggle to make the jump. This gives rise to a frustrating, and altogether ineffective, trend in Hollywood—the “in name only” adaptation.
“In name only” adaptations see a film bear little to no resemblance to its inspiring work, usually with a few character names or references forming a minuscule connective thread between the two. This often happens when filmmakers think the original work’s narrative won’t connect with general moviegoers.
2005’sAlone in the Darkfilmis a textbook example of this, with its survival horror replaced with the era’s stylized action setpieces. WithUntil Dawn’s specific mythology and narrative wrapped in a “choose your own adventure” aesthetic, it provides an easy out for filmmakers looking to cash in on its central concept. However, releasing a film that sees a group of friends attempt to survive a night of supernatural horror together on a mountain does not inherently make itUntil Dawn, even if the title says so.
Until Dawn’s Film Adaptation Needs to Stick to the Script
Until Dawn’s butterfly effectsand QTEs are not what made the title so revered nearly a decade after its release. Rather, its characters, relationships, and unique supernatural twists emboldened the medium better than most titles that came before it. To do the title justice, theUntil Dawnfilm needs to stick to the script, translating the actual narrative and its character into film effectively. Adapting only its core concepts in a brand new scenario would miss the point.
Certain twists and turns, and likely character deaths, will be required to keep theUntil Dawnfilm interesting, seeing as no one wants a horror film where everyone survives. However, these twists shouldn’t deviate so far from the narrative that the game’s greatest strengths are abandoned. WithPlayStation Productionsin the driver’s seat throughout the film’s production,Until Dawnhas a good chance of getting a solid adaptation. TheUntil Dawnfilm will hopefully do justice to the source material and avoid the mistakes made by many of the game-to-film adaptations that came before it.
Until Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
Only Your Choices Determine Who SurvivesEight friends are trapped together on a remote mountain retreat, and they aren’t alone. Gripped by dread, with tensions running high, they must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece.Play as each of the eight characters and experience fear like you never have before. Every decision you make in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for whom? Your actions alone will decide who survives Until Dawn.Make the impossible choices, where every decision in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for who?Carve your path to survival with branching story lines that promise no two experiences will be the same. The choices you make may ripple unseen into moments of grave peril, or they may very well save a life.
