Can you survive ‘Until Dawn’?
Horror film adapts the popular video game series in an unexpected way
"Until Dawn" adapts one of the most popular video game franchises in the modern era.
It stars Ella Ruben (“Fear Street: Prom Queen”) as Clover, who is on the search for her lost sister. After retracing her sister’s steps, Clover and four friends come across a creepy old house in the middle of the woods with an hourglass stuck in the wall.
As day becomes night and a storm traps them in the abandoned house, they soon realize they're not alone. Their only hope for survival is to make it until dawn. ...
It’s not being an accurate depiction of the game; nonetheless,I found myself having a ton of fun with this movie. The film’s main strength is to stay unpredictable. A bunch of different horror genres are showcased and it's a lot of fun.
The whole gimmick of the film is that after the characters die, the hourglass resets time and the characters have to fight something different in order to be free of the curse placed on them. This movie is the film equivalent to a haunted house at a theme park, in the best way possible.
Unfortunately , on the character of things, it's bland and boring. Clover, while sympathetic, is bogged down by her annoying friends. None of them are worth mentioning because they are fodder for the plot and all the gruesome, cinematic ways to die.
The supporting characters were fun to watch only for those reasons.
I do wish the curse itself was more fleshed out. I haven't played any of the games, and the lack of an explanation tainted my enjoyment of the film.
Overall “Until Dawn” is a great gateway film for those who think they are too scared of traditional horror movies. It was also a great experimentation with the genre itself.
If you like the games, I suggest you see the film with tempered expectations. I'd give "Until Dawn" a 7/10.
