Sony announced in January that it planned to create a movie adaptation of its 2015 PlayStation game Until Dawn and the project is moving quickly through production. Earlier this month, director David F. Sandberg posted on Instagram that the film had wrapped shooting, and today Sony production house Screen Gems announced that the movie’s release date will be April 25, 2025.
Until Dawn became a cult favorite among the horror game fans, with a branching narrative that offers dozens of different endings based on a player’s choices. If you haven’t had a chance to experience the original Supermassive Games title yet, the game recently received a timely spooky season from Ballistic Moon. One of the big questions around creating a film from the game source is which of the many possible outcomes will the team choose for the plot? And the other big question is whether Until Dawn will follow in the footsteps of successful game adaptations like or be an absolute trainwreck like ?
So far, the signs seem promising. Director Sandberg has a solid track record in horror with Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. The final script was written by Gary Dauberman, who worked with Sandberg on Annabelle: Creation as well as penning words for other Annabelle movies, It (2017), It Chapter Two and The Nun.
The game had some notable actors involved, including Hayden Panetierre and Rami Malek. For the movie, Screen Gems tapped a cast including Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Odessa A’zion and Maia Mitchell. Peter Stormare will also reprise his role of Dr. Hill in the film version.
Peter Stormare (Fargo), Maia Mitchell (Good Trouble), and Belmont Cameli (Saved by the Bell) have been tapped to join the Until Dawnmovie cast for the highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of the hit horror video game series. It is a production by Screen Gems and PlayStation Studios.
Stormare is said to be reprising his role as Dr. Hill, after voicing the character in the original game. The character was introduced as a psychiarist who appears throughout the interactive horror game and serves as the one guiding the players through making their decisions. Meanwhile, further details about Mitchell and Cameli’s characters are still under wraps.
Who is in the Until Dawn movie cast?
The new cast members will be joining previously announced leads Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Michael Cimino (Love Victor), Ji-young Yoo (Expats) and Odessa A’zion (Hellraiser reboot) Described as an “R-rated and terrifying love letter to the horror genre,” the story will center around a group of friends reuniting at a mountain retreat after the death of a friend a year earlier.
Until Dawn hails from horror filmmakers David F. Sandberg (Annabelle Creation, Lights Out) and Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home, Salem’s Lot), with Sandberg directing from a script written by Dauberman. The adaptation will be produced by Qizilbash, Dauberman, Mia Maniscalco, Lotta Losten, Roy Lee, and Carter Swan. Productio is expected to begin in mid-August.
Yet another notable game studio is laying off a significant chunk of its workforce. Supermassive Games, the developer behind interactive horror titles and , is cutting around 90 jobs, according to . That’s nearly a third of the studio’s more than 300 employees.
Supermassive confirmed that the studio will reorganize. “As a result, we are entering into a period of consultation, which we anticipate will result in the loss of some of our colleagues,” it said. “This is not a decision that’s been taken lightly, with many efforts made to avoid this outcome.”
Supermassive notes that it’s not safe from the “significant challenges” facing the games industry. More than 6,000 workers in the industry have lost their jobs and we’re not even into March yet.
Meanwhile, indie studio Die Gute Fabrik has amid funding difficulties. The developer of Saltsea Chronicles and will use its remaining funds to give staff a month of paid time “to catch their breaths” while they look for new jobs. The studio is still seeking backers to help it resume production and hopes to bring back current team members in the future. However, it notes that “the publishing and investment scene is so tough for companies and projects of our scale right now it’s made it extremely difficult to secure funding for our next project without a gap in income.”
We’re sad to share that we’re halting production at @gutefabrik due to the challenging funding & investment scene in games right now. We downed tools earlier this month & have been doing our best to support the team who’ll be looking for work from mid-March.
Looking for some hair-raising titles that will kickstart those heart palpitations? 2024 is shaping up to be the year of horror games that are ready to scare you.
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Image Credit: Mob Game Studios
The story of Poppy Playtime continues in the third DLC, where you’ll explore the orphanage under the famous Playtime factory. With new characters and new features, this expansion of the horror game is nothing short of fantastic.
As a heads up, if you haven’t played the first two, you’ll need the first game to play this chapter since it is an add on rather than a separate game. Also, for the purposes of understanding the story, we strongly recommend playing chapter one and two first before jumping into this.
The Backrooms
Release Window: March 2024
Image Credit: Found Footage Studios
Ever walked down a long quiet open hallway and felt creeped out for no reason? That sensation inspired the internet to come up with something called the Backrooms. You’ve probably seen a few games based on this creepy concept. In this new version, co-op play is widely encouraged, as is creativity since you’re able to make your own levels.
This time you’ll playing through the perspective of a body cam and utilizing voice chat as an immersion tool — don’t let the monsters hear you! Welcome to the Backrooms, where anything can happen.
Mouthwashing
Release Window: Q1 2024
Developer: Wrong Organ
There’s a whole new definition of cabin fever in Mouthwashing, a game where the crew of a courier ship has crash landed in deep space. Stuck together, they become increasingly irate with one another as it becomes more and more clear that help isn’t coming.
In addition, the player is forced to tend to Curly, the captain of the ship who became (big emphasis on) horrendously deformed in the crash. There’s more than meets Curly’s eyeball here though, and no one in the crew is truly innocent. Was it he who caused the crash or someone else? You’ll have to find out!
Subliminal
Release Window: Q1 2024
Image Credit: Sven
The horror game Subliminal proves that sometimes, it’s the fight or flight within us that can be the biggest hurdle. Explore a number of different spaces, where even the monsters you face won’t be as scary as your racing heartbeat.
What’s creepy here is knowing there’s someone around, but you can’t see them. Only the strong of mind will be able to handle this challenge that might even make the horrors of Outlast look simple in comparison. It’s the Backrooms in its scariest form yet.
Little Nightmares III
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: Tarsier Studios
The Little Nightmares series have that goth Coraline style horror that is just creepy enough with a splash of whimsical charm. Gameplay traditionally consists of going through a world inhabited by monsters where the main character has to solve puzzles in order to escape.
The original horror game was so popular that a sequel was made and now a third version is in the works, with a brand feature some are surely looking forward to, multiplayer mode! That’s right, you and a friend will now be able to navigate the game’s challenges together. Third time’s the spooky charm.
Silent Hill 2
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: Konami
The Silent Hill 2 remake is one of the most exciting horror releases to look forward to because it’s generally considered the best one in the franchise, even surpassing the original. People favored it because it deviated from the cult horror themes in 1, choosing to focus on the human psyche instead.
If you’ve never played a Silent Hill game, this is a great way to get your foot in the door because the story is separate from what happens in 1 and 3. It’s a bit like Resident Evil but with less of a focus on science fiction and more on psychological horror.
Beyond Hanwell
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: Steel Arts Software LTD
The open world hype train keeps going and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Horror fans will be able to jump on when Beyond Hanwell comes out. Here, you’ll explore a London that’s been infested by creatures called Anomalies.
If you’re an avid Project Zomboid enjoyer, this might be something for you because it has similar aspects of survival and dumping bullets into infected monsters. However instead of dying from getting bitten, you can use the creature’s DNA to make yourself stronger beyond the limits of humanity.
Until Dawn
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: Supermassive Games
You can’t go wrong with classic horror where the plot happens because teenagers made bad decisions. In fact, in this game, remastered from the 2015 version, the choices you make will affect the direction of the plot. Until Dawn takes place in a remote mountain area where eight people will face nightmares that they never imagined were real.
Things aren’t that cut and dry though; prior to the main story something awful happened in those mountains. It’s a mystery just truly dying to be solved as you’ll see. With a celebrity voiced cast, this is sure to be unforgettable!
Crow Country
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: SFB Games
Haunted abandoned theme parks always have a different level of eerie horror that borders on being creepy. In Crow Country, the player investigates the eponymous theme park that was suddenly long left to rot years before. Something happened here but what? As you explore, you’ll learn exactly what and why lead to the park’s closing.
Don’t be afraid to click on absolutely everything here, as the left behind clues will be your key to unraveling the lore. It’s time to dust off your detective skills and explore Crow County!
Demonsomnia
Release Window: 2024
Image Credit: Woziva
This next one is for all the lovers of post-apocalyptic horror. Here, you and your comrades will explore a land decimated by radiation. The toxic fumes gave birth to mutated creatures which prowl the forests you’ll explore. Be on your toes, stay alert, and never remove your mask, or you could join those creatures.
Your goal is to collect a certain number of items to kill a demon, which is why this works as a co-op game. Of course, if you’re feeling brave, feel free to try it solo!
Get ready to be spooked by these in 2024!
About the author
Erin O’Gorman
Carrying a love of writing since childhood, it was always inevitable Erin would do this for a living. She loves to make features, lists, guides, just about anything! Also, she thinks Emilia is better than Rem and that you shouldn’t ever question that.
