Until Dawn - Time Loop Horror

To start off, I love, love, love, LOVED the game. I've played it multiple times in search of different types of endings and dialogues while TRYING to save everyone. Those QTEs are a pain and prevented that sometimes.

Based on the trailer, I knew that it was going to be different. This isn't based on the cabin in the woods, serial killer while facing off against Wendigos game play experience. It has elements of it for sure. There were tons of easter eggs from the OG game.

The first and most obvious was Dr. Hill...the psychologist in between each chapter of the game shows up here. Along with the threats from the game. Masked killer and Wendigos.

The movie starts with a ragtag team of 20-somethings: Clover, her ex-boyfriend Max, her friends Nina and Megan and Nina's boyfriend Abe are helping Clover uncover the mystery of her sister Melanie's disappearance one year ago.

It leads them to a small town and the owner of a gas station mentions that a lot of people had gone missing down the way in Glore Valley. They head that way and start getting lost in the woods due to the rain and come across the Visitor's Center. Thus begins their never-ending night where by the end of the loop they either die or become the darkness.

Welcome to Glore Valley Visitor Center

The relive the last hours of their life over and over, but (and here's the fun part) it's NEVER the same. They each start off in a "save point" when Nina signs in. They face a serial killer, monsters, and even when they try to do nothing, just sit in a bathroom and do nothing, they die...by drinking explosive water in that one.

They only have thirteen times to get it right. All those who have disappeared stopped after thirteen. They look for answers each time hoping to find a way out as they slowly start to become Wendigos. They try to find they mysterious Dr. Hill (aka the gas station attendant) who is behind all of this.

Wendigos are the worst

Hill tells Clover that the only way out is for someone to die.

Was it as good as the game? No.

Was it a good sucessor as part of the Until Dawn universe? Kind of.

It had its moments and as mentioned, the easter eggs were abundant. There were some good scares and surprising moments (I mean randomly exploding while drinking water). It had some of the energy that Cabin in the Woods had. It was definitely fun.

It just didn't have a lot of horror magic to it. I wasn't exactly rooting for all of them. After a while, Nina's boyfriend I would have been happy to watch die over and over. Clover did cleverly find a way out of the time loop. Thus, setting up a potential sequel.

And yes, I will be there to see it if it does happen, because while not perfect and I was hoping for a little more, I did enjoy it. I won't go out of my way to rewatch when it hits streaming, but I would watch it again. If only to really take the time to make mental note of every tiny easter egg.

If you loved the games, you'll have a good time with this. If you hated the games...well, you might enjoy this from a horror perspective.

3/5