The following contains spoilers for Until Dawn, now playing in theatersUntil Dawncould inspire a new wave of stories in the franchise’s universe. Inspired by the 2015 video game,Until Dawnfollows a group of survivorsdesperately trying to avoid killers, wendigos, and the villainous Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare), while facing a horrifying time loop. Director David F. Sandberg (Shazam!) worked alongside stars Ella Rubin (Clover), Michael Cimino (Max), Ji-young Yoo (Megan), and more. The movie has had a muted opening weekend, debuting to an estimated $8 million, despite having a $15 million budget.
In an interview withSlash Film, writer and producer Gary Dauberman explained that the movie could inspire some potential sequels. Ideally, Dauberman hopes to see a new game, movie, TV show, or other medium following up on the story presented in this film. He alsohopes that the stories are “interconnected"to help bridge the gap between each separate medium. Check out his quote below:
I’m hoping that there’s a new game that’s part of the story. My ideal scenario is that there’s a game, a movie, a game, a movie or a TV [show], whatever it is. But justreally building it out in all different kinds of media, I think, is what’s exciting. [Right now], it’s the game franchise over here, it’s a movie franchise over here. I really like the idea of it being just one interconnected franchise.
What A Connected Universe Means For Until Dawn
The Games Already Feature A Web Of Stories
Given thatUntil Dawnendswith a shot of the cabin that the original game takes place in, there is an inherent connection between the two projects.The movie is likely set earlier in the timeline, as Dr. Hill continues to refine his experiments, and it is undoubtedly tied to the game. It even somewhat redefines the original story, as the supernatural Hill is implied to be a figment of a teenager’s imagination in the original. By reinterpreting Hill’s character,Until Dawnhelped to make the game even more fascinating and enhanced its already-proven replayability.
There are still some distinctions between the two mediums that hinder the connections, unfortunately.The game does not feature a death loop, after all,and the gigantic wendigois a completely new development in the movie.On the silver screen, there is simply a greater variety of enemies, which is curious for a story that is meant to serve as a prequel. There have been other stories in this universe, including the spin-offUntil Dawn: Rush of Bloodand the prequelThe Inpatient, but none have ever taken this many liberties before.
Our Take On Until Dawn’s Connections
It Capitalizes On Until Dawn’s Greatest Draw
Replayability was the main concept that set the original game apart from contemporary horror experiences. Players could take different approaches during each playthrough, and new characters would die, survive, or suffer as a consequence of each seemingly minor decision.
By serving as a prequel to the original game, theUntil Dawnmoviemanages to enhance that replayability even more. It could drive people to return to the original story to revisit Dr. Hill’s character, reconsider the death loop, and even question the wendigos. These connections are a brilliant way to honor a now-classic game.
