Until Dawn Film Adaptation Is About Teens Stuck in a Time Loop Where Every Cycle Is a New Horror Genre

Until Dawn fans have received their first look at the incoming film adaptation and its wildly different premise, alongside confirmation that a full trailer is “coming soon.”

Sony Pictures released the “Film First Look,” below, which offers a few glimpses of horror action alongside commentary from Until Dawn’s creators. Director David F. Sandberg also explained the premise: teenagers are stuck in a time loop where each cycle is a different horror genre.

“The movie, it has sort of the same tone and the same vibe but it expands upon the universe,” he said. “One of the creative things the game did is that people make different choices and die in different ways. The movie has this mechanic where things start over and they get to try again. Every time they come back to life it’s like they’re in a new horror genre. To survive, they have to make it until dawn.”

Though Sony Pictures already revealed the film will feature a new story and cast of characters, it’s now clear it’s taking a more meta approach rather than just telling a traditional horror story as the video game did.

Until Dawn, which arrived in 2015 and became a quick fan favorite, lets players make pivotal decisions in a story where all eight teens can die, all eight can live, or anywhere in between. Its story also brought in elements of different horror genres, with villains shifting from a creepy man in the woods to a clown mask-wearing killer to full on spooky monsters.

The Until Dawn film will seemingly focus on these elements instead of expanding the stories of Sam, Josh, and so on, or telling the tale of new teenagers struggling through a similar night. The characters in the film will have to make different decisions, like the players of the game, and progress through different genres as they go.

Actor Peter Stormare, who played Doctor Hill in the original game, and as we now know, another character also called Hill in the film, said earlier in January that this approach works for dedicated fans and newcomers.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.