‘Until Dawn’ Tandem David F. Sandberg and Gary Dauberman Find Creative Ways to Kill Off Characters in Deadly Time Loop

Ella Rubin as Clover in Until Dawn, in PH cinemas on Friday, April 25

As fans of the Until Dawn videogame, director-producer David F. Sandberg and writer-producer Gary Dauberman wanted to create an ode to the horror genre for its film adaptation. Working within the timeloop structure of the game has brought in opportunities for a lot of creativity. “Every night, the story resets, taking us into a new horror genre,” Sandberg elaborates. “As a lifelong horror fan, it was a dream come true to work in all these subgenres. Every night the characters undergo what feels like a new chapter in a different story.”

Director Sandberg has been looking for a project that he can have fun with, and explore different aspects of horror. “Before learning of UNTIL DAWN, I’d been thinking about what a perfect project would be,” he says. “Would it be a slasher movie, or a supernatural story, or maybe a creature feature? UNTIL DAWN has it all; it’s several horror movies in one, which made me fall in love with it. We get to play with the entire horror toolbox. You never know what’s coming next in our story, because it changes every night.”In Until Dawn, a group of friends are investigating the tragic disappearance of Melanie(Maia Mitchell), Clover’s(Ella Rubin) sister only to be murdered one by one as they explore an abandoned visitor center. Only, their story has just begun, and they’re forced to relive the night repeatedly. With only a limited number of deaths, the only way to survive is to make it until dawn.Genre tropes are combined in an unpredictable tale of terror in Until Dawn. This, “allows us to have the fun of killing off our characters,” says Dauberman. “It was both a challenge and tremendous fun because we had the freedom to say, ‘Yeah, f*** it, let’s just kill him.’”

Fans of the game will no doubt enjoy the theatrical experience of Until Dawn, and are in for a treat with easter eggs scattered throughout the film. Producer Asad Qizibash, who is also the SVP Head of Publishing, Studio Business Group and Head of PlayStation Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment, is happy to see how the film turned out, and how it incorporated aspects of the original game.  “PlayStation Productions serves as a vessel for top creators to translate their passion for gaming into compelling narratives across various media. Being fans of the game themselves, David, Gary and their cast and crew have worked closely with our team at PlayStation Productions to make sure the film captured what fans love most about the Until Dawn world. And while you don’t need to have played the game to enjoy the movie’s twists and turns, there’s a good chance that fans will spot some cool references to the original story,” Qizibash says.

Don’t miss the chance to watch Until Dawn as it opens Philippine cinemas on Friday, April 25.

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About “Until Dawn”

One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the night again and again – only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn. Until Dawn, is directed by David F. Sandberg, and stars Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell, and Peter Stormare. Based on the Playstation Studios video game

Watch the trailer: