‘Until Dawn' Review: They Keep Dying, You'll Keep Shrugging
Watching someone play a video game that they never let you play is a singular kind of boring. A similar 'why am I here?' dullness arrives early and stays late in 'Until Dawn,' the new supernatural slasher film based on the popular horror video game of the same name.
The game, about the eerie goings-on that happen after sisters go missing from a remote mountain resort, is played in a choose-your-own-adventure style. With interactivity off the table, the film relies on a traditional slasher formula: Clover (Ella Rubin) and a group of her friends make the terrible decision to visit a remote valley's welcome center seeking answers about the strange disappearance of Clover's sister.
Inside, a masked killer starts slaughtering the characters one by one. But here's the 'Happy Death Day'-style twist: Each night the characters' lives, and deaths, get reset by an hourglass clock. It turns out there's a deus ex machina madman at work in this uncanny valley, and as part of his diabolical project to learn more about the mechanics of fear, he reboots days and forces his victims to survive (they don't) until (you guessed it) dawn.
The director, David F. Sandberg ('Annabelle: Creation') does an exhausting job moving along a script, written by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler, that's made slack by mediocre monsters, muddled time loop stuff and underdeveloped characters who seem straight out of a lesser 'Goosebumps' episode. The spectacular and repulsively funny deaths by spontaneous combustion deserve their own, better movie.
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Geek Vibes Nation
27-05-2025
- Geek Vibes Nation
Sony To Debut Survival Horror Video Game Adaptation 'Until Dawn' On 4K UHD Blu-Ray This July
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that the horror thriller Until Dawn from director David F. Sandberg will debut on 4K UHD Blu-Ray + Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD on July 8, 2025. The film is currently available on digital platforms. It stars Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell and Peter Stormare. The new release will feature exclusive extras including a director commentary track and deleted scenes. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray will come with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio. Get the details below! Synopsis: 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. DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS Deleted & Extended Scenes Adapting a Nightmare – Join David F. Sandberg (Dir / Prod) and Gary Dauberman (Writer / Prod) as they explore the inspirations behind the film, the fun of genre-switching and how they expanded the universe of the game. Death-Defying Cast – Dying over and over never felt so good – meet the fearless, game-for-anything cast as they attempt to survive Until Dawn. Practical Terrors – From wendigos to exploding bodies, Director David F. Sandberg knows the value of practical effects – and how those prosthetics, props, and blood elicit a more authentic reaction from the cast. Commentary with Director David F. Sandberg & Producer Lotta Losten Before we let you go, we have officially launched our merch store! Check out all of our amazing apparel when you click here and type in GVN15 at checkout for a 15% discount! Make sure to check out our podcasts each week including Geek Vibes Live, Top 10 with Tia, Wrestling Geeks Alliance and more! For major deals and money off on Amazon, make sure to use our affiliate link!
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Newsweek
'Evil' Annabelle Doll Update After 'Missing' Reports Spread
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The team behind the New England Society for Psychic Research have issued an update following reports of a missing haunted doll which sent social media users into a frenzy. They are keen to point out that the public was never in any danger from the Anabelle doll, one of the most infamous 'haunted,' objects in pop culture. Speaking to Newsweek the society's director Tony Spera confirmed the doll's location, shortly after paranormal investigator Ryan Buell took to social media to quash speculation. The Context Anabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll made famous by Ed and Lorraine Warren, a husband-and-wife team of demonologists and paranormal investigators. The Warrens have said the doll is a demonic entity, and it is kept in a glass house at the Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut. The museum has been closed to the public since 2018 due to zoning violations. L: A large-sized Raggedy Ann doll pictured March 25, 2009. The doll from the film 'Annabelle: Creation' during a photocall at U-Bahnhof Rathaus Steglitz on August 17, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. L: A large-sized Raggedy Ann doll pictured March 25, 2009. The doll from the film 'Annabelle: Creation' during a photocall at U-Bahnhof Rathaus Steglitz on August 17, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. AP Photo/Mattoon Journal Gazette, Ken Trevarthan/Sebastian Gabsch/Geisler-Fotopress/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images A version of the doll featured in the 2013 horror movie, The Conjuring, which led to three spinoff movies, Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), further popularizing and cementing it in paranormal pop culture. What To Know A slew of videos hit social media recently, some of which have racked up millions of views, claiming that the doll was missing. But this was untrue. "The doll has never missing," Tony Spera the Director of New England Society for Psychic Research told Newsweek via email. "We had taken the doll on a brief tour to several locations, so paranormal enthusiasts could witness the real Annabelle." The tour had spooked horror fans, as Lorraine Warren previously stated that the doll should never be moved. @christopherkeily, in a TikTok video viewed 2.6 million times as of reporting, said: "The Annabelle doll is missing... Lorraine tried to warn you, she said this doll should never be moved because it's extremely dangerous." And Alex, a TikTok user in a video viewed 2.9 million times as of reporting, said: "Lorraine Warren told you all not to move the Annabelle doll. She said don't move her... Leave the doll alone." "The public was never in any danger and the doll was never missing," Spera told Newsweek. It's not clear exactly what has prompted the storm of speculation about the doll. Some creators have linked the Anabelle doll being on tour to other recent major news events, including the Nottoway Plantation Fire, and the escape of 10 inmates from a jail in New Orleans. Rumors about the doll have been extreme, and people have been seriously spooked. In a video shared on Facebook by Buell, Dan Rivera of the New England Society for Psychic Research explained where the doll is. "Annabelle is in the Warren's Occult Museum," Rivera says in the video. He then films inside of the museum, ultimately capturing the doll in its box. A text overlay on the video then reads "Annabelle is back home resting. For now." What People Are Saying Tony Spera the Director of New England Society for Psychic Research told Newsweek via email: "The doll was never out of our site or control. My team members, Dan Rivera, Chris Gilloren, and Wade Kirby kept her safely secured and guarded. We also traveled with a catholic priest, to ensure the public was safe. The priest frequently blessed the doll (in her protect enclosure), using binding ritualistic prayers." Ryan Buell, a host an executive producer of A&E's "Paranormal State," on Facebook: "Some wild and crazy internet rumors this morning claiming that we lost Annabelle. She/it is NOT lost and here's Dan Rivera with NESPR proving she is back home inside the museum in Connecticut.. for now." @marianneasfu, in a TikTok video viewed 4.7 million times as of reporting: "If you watch the Conjuring and Annabelle movies you will know how evil she truly is... I'll be praying for you all." What's Next Rivera said in the Facebook video that they plan to go to Rock Island Illinois with the doll in October.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Forbes
Horror Thriller ‘Until Dawn' Arrives On Digital Streaming This Week
Ella Rubin in "Until Dawn." Until Dawn, a horror thriller based on the hit Sony Interactive Entertainment video game, is coming soon to digital streaming. Rated R, Until Dawn opened in theaters on April 25. The official summary for the film reads, 'One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover (Ella Rubin) 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.' Directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation), Until Dawn also stars Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell and Peter Stormare. Rated R, Until Dawn will debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Friday, May 23, a Prime Video listing confirms. The film will also be available to purchase or rent on a variety of digital platforms including Apple TV, Fandango at Home and YouTube. Currently, Until Dawn is listed for pre-order on Prime Video for $24.99. Since digital rentals are typically $5 less than purchase prices on PVOD, viewers can expect to rent Until Dawn for $19.99 for 48 hours. Until Dawn earned $19.9 million from domestic ticket sales and $30 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $49.9 million against a $15 million budget before prints and advertising, per The Numbers. Until Dawn was given a 53% 'rotten' rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 102 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for the film reads, 'Until Dawn has a novel premise by rewinding the clock repeatedly to deliver multiple horror movies in one, but a lack of inspiration in each new variation yields a spoil of diminishing returns rather than riches.' In addition, the film received a 68% 'fresh' score on RT's Popcornmeter based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings. Until Dawn arrives on PVOD on Friday.
