“Until Dawn” looked like a promising horror movie with potential. Going in, I knew it was based off a popular video game that I haven’t experienced. “Silent Hill.” “Lara Croft.” “Sonic.” We’ve seen this tactic done before with varying degrees of success. What I thought would be a decent flick to celebrate Halfway to Halloween quickly devolved into typical modern era garbage.
“Dawn” was written by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, the latter of which is partly responsible for the abysmal “IT: Chapter 2.” David F. Sandberg is the director. Sandberg came from the YouTube school of filmmaking, with his feature debut being the competent horror piece “Lights Out.”
The idea is intriguing. Five friends find themselves trapped in a remote visitor center. There are mysterious elements in play. Rain clouds cover only the area where the action takes place. The registration book contains the same signatures written over and over. And dozens of missing persons posters cover the wall.
Shallow and Unlikeable
Clover (Ella Rubin) is still reeling from the disappearance of her sister in the same vicinity a year before. Michael Cimino plays Max, Clover’s ex, who of course is still in love with her. Nina (Odessa A’zion) and Megan (Ji-young Yoo) are Clover’s friends. Abe (Belmont Cameli) is Nina’s new boyfriend. The great Peter Stormare is wasted in a minor role.
The rub of the film is that the building is haunted by a plethora of ghouls, witches, and a masked madman with an ax. The friends are all brutally slain one by one. Until an hourglass flips over. The friends are alive once again. They are set to be slaughtered on an endless loop until they figure out a way to survive the night.
I thought Ella Rubin did a good job in the de facto lead role of Clover. She has the trauma of her sister’s disappearance in her pocket. We get one brief flashback showing how her sister (Maia Mitchell) left in the first place. More of this would have better. The rest of the friends are fodder for flaying. Particulary the relationship of Abe and max is odd as they joke with each other at highly inappropriate times.
Typical Tropes
“Until Dawn” follows the same tropes of other bad horror movies. The rules it created for itself are silly and follow no definitive pattern. Jump scares are pointless, endless, and way too loud. Seriously, pack your earplugs or a bottle of Excedrin because you’ll need it by the end.
The friends accept the ridiculous situation so fast it’s laughable. Luckily, Megan is a psychic, so she can easily explain what’s going on with awkward exposition dumps and a sincerity that’s astounding. Deaths are absurdly bloody and gory, and they repeat over and over. Woo hoo.
It’s the best time of the year. Today is Halfway to Halloween and tomorrow is May 1st. We are officially closer to Spooky Season 2025 than last year, and I’m down for it. Just don’t waste your time or money on “Until Dawn.” It’s not worthy of viewing for any reason.
