Until Dawn - Until Dawn in 4K Blu-ray – Between Videogame and Cinematic Nightmare

Bringing Until Dawn to the big screen, a 2015 video game conceived as an interactive film, seemed like an impossible mission. The solution found by David F. Sandberg, a director already known for Annabelle 2: Creation and Lights Out, was simple and ingenious: transform the game's multiplicity of choices into a time loop where characters continuously die and resurrect, as if the audience were starting a new game.

The plot follows Clover, a girl marked by her sister's disappearance, who, along with a group of friends, finds herself in an isolated area, soon becoming prisoners of a diabolical hourglass. Surrounded by unspeakable horrors, challenged not to succumb before dawn: the real curse is that no death is definitive, and the atrocities restart the following night.

Until Dawn - From Videogame to Film

Led by Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, and Odessa A’zion, the cast delivers convincing performances that elevate the characters beyond simple slasher stereotypes. Peter Stormare, more diabolical than ever and the face of the video game, enriches the experience. Sandberg constructs a film that oscillates between terror and black humor, aware of the grotesque side of the source material.

Irony becomes a narrative weapon, with surreal elements that break the tension and wink at gamers, while the (considerable) gore and spectacular deaths should not disappoint splatter lovers. In fact, those unfamiliar with the Until Dawn video game universe miss the subtle elements but not the creative potential; fans, however, are taken on an entertaining and bloody meta-cinematic journey.

Contrary to expectations, it is only when the unfortunate victims deduce that their umpteenth “life” might be their last that the work loses momentum and falters towards an uninspired ending. While deaths and rebirths lead to a slow yet inexorable physical transformation, the tension should increase accordingly, but not in this case. All while awaiting explanations of who, what, how, and why the carousel of horrifying events was unleashed.

Until Dawn - How it Looks

Shot digitally at an unspecified resolution, the 4K presentation is spectacular. Image format 1.85:1 (3840 x 2160/23.97p), HEVC encoding on a BD-100 triple layer disc. The gloomy settings, low lighting, and numerous transitions almost into darkness transform the video material into a kind of gym for reference screens.

It is more crucial than ever to have hardware sensitive to low light, 10-bit preferably with infinite black as in the case of OLED panels, to find oneself immersed in an unsettling darkness. Dolby Vision certainly helps the complex cinematography of Maxime Alexandre (Shazam!, Crawl – Trapped), further emphasizing the scarce light and enriching the scene with colors more faithful to the artistic concept.

Until Dawn - How it Sounds

The spectacle continues in the audio department with a very good quality DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channel (16-bit) track. Although far from demo reference, the multichannel listening delivers moments of tension, between dialogue, effects, and the richness of the soundscape starting from the musical compositions.

The scenic richness and dynamics further increase with the original Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel (24-bit), which drags you into the center of the horrific scene, enhancing the many moments of terror. Exploded and repeatedly violated bodies, not to mention the mad monstrosities lurking in the dark hunting for the next victim.

Until Dawn - The Extras

Very interesting extras, starting with the audio commentary with director David F. Sandberg and producer Lotta Losten. Deleted and extended scenes (HD, 37 minutes), 8 in total, including an alternative opening and a different (and better) ending, with some more details compared to the theatrical solution. The adaptation of the video game with the director and co-screenwriter Gary Dauberman (3'). Focus on the cast (3') and the gore and make-up special effects (2'). Italian subtitles.