Until Dawn Director & Writer Reveal Challenges of Game-to-Movie Adaptation

by

The upcoming movie is based on the video game Until Dawn. This film is an adaptation, although not a strict one, of the well-known survival horror series. It follows the story of Clover and her friends who find themselves in a terrifying time loop as they search for Clover’s sister. Their only hope for escape lies in surviving until dawn amidst numerous tragic endings.

In a recent conversation, Game Rant sat down with directors David F. Sandberg and writer Gary Dauberman of the game “Until Dawn”. They opened up about the challenges of adapting the game for television, their favorite video games, horror movie inspirations, and the authenticity of using practical effects in their work.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Game Rant: In contrast to directly converting the games, it appears that Gary’s narrative instead focuses on adapting the decision-making mechanics, leading to multiple endings similar to those found in the Until Dawn series. Can you share some of the difficulties encountered while maintaining a high level of tension within your storyline when implementing this approach?

Gary Dauberman: Finding fresh, distinct scares and unveiling the unfolding horror for this particular night was difficult. However, I’d add that it wasn’t a direct translation of the game, but rather an expansion of its world’s narrative. This presented a challenge because we sought to explore where the game’s story could go next, and how we could introduce new characters and follow their journeys throughout the night. It was challenging, but also exciting.

AL: Hey David, for a while now you’ve been immersed in the world of superheroes through the Shazam! films. It must be quite refreshing to return to your horror background with Until Dawn, isn’t it?

David F. Sandberg finds it exhilarating! He can depict any character’s demise, and the studio is content with it. It’s almost as if they’re saying, “Go ahead, kill them in various ways.” However, that’s not quite accurate, as he expresses it was truly enjoyable. This film allowed him to realize his lifelong dream of creating a horror movie brimming with practical effects, gore, deaths, monsters, and everything else he has longed to bring to life since the start, making it something he’s been eager to do for quite some time.

Question:

Are either of you avid video game players, and if so, do you have any favorite video games, particularly in the horror genre, that you’d like to see adapted for the cinema?

David: I think you’re a bigger gamer than I am.

Gary: I am, I’m a regional semi-finalist for the Nintendo World Championships.

David: Really?

Me: As a lifelong gamer, starting from my Atari days at age 11, I’ve always believed that certain video games have the potential to shine on the silver screen. One title that immediately comes to mind is Castlevania, which I think could be absolutely captivating. Another game close to my heart is Shinobi. The entire Final Fantasy series also holds a special place for me, and I can’t wait to see how someone might approach adapting the recent release, Elden Ring. It’s an exciting time for video games in the film industry, and I’m eagerly anticipating future adaptations.

David: I do engage in playing video games, but I don’t spend an excessive amount of time on them. I tend to be rather picky about how I use my time. However, I do take pleasure in them.

Gary: [laughs]

David: Well, I always feel like “I should be working,” you know?

Gary: Right, right, right…

David: Which is not a healthy-

Gary: You gotta think of video games as working.

David: I know.

Gary: But that’s what I do, like “no, no, I need to know this.”

David: I have to get a handle on that. To be honest, horror games usually give me a greater fright than horror movies. However, I’ve truly taken pleasure in playing games like Resident Evil, Outlast, and Until Dawn.

Gary: Have you played Amnesia?

David: I haven’t, no.

Gary: I really like Amnesia; it’s terrific. Another game in the same vein would be wonderful too, but there are plenty of options available.

As a fan following along, I must say what captivated me in this film was the skillful fusion of different genres, where various spectral entities were consistently attempting to eliminate our lead character. David, as you pointed out, these attempts came in some incredibly creative forms. Now, I’m curious: were there any specific horror movies or other media that either of you drew inspiration from for specific scenes, kill sequences, or any other elements within the movie?

David: What made it enjoyable was being able to draw inspiration from a wide variety of sources, such as every horror movie or game you’ve experienced. There were specific nods, for example, [to Gary], I recall that at the start, you referenced “The Descent” when they ventured into tunnels with Wendigos and other elements…

Gary: One of my favorites.

David: Mine as well! That sparked a reaction of excitement in me, something like, “Oh wow, this is going to be fantastic!” However, I believe the inspiration drew from various sources within the horror genre, ranging from found-footage style to slasher films.

Gary: Instead, our inspiration came more from the common themes in each genre rather than particular films within those genres.

AL: Hey David, I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely adore your YouTube channel, ponysmasher. Your content on filmmaking has been incredibly informative and enlightening. Lately, I’ve been captivated by your video discussing the practical effects in Until Dawn. The way you emphasized the importance of in-camera effects, even those simple tricks that can be applied when making a movie at home, as demonstrated in your test footage, was truly engaging. If there are any additional lessons or insights from creating this film that you would like to pass on to aspiring directors and filmmakers, I’d love to hear them.

Gary: More money, more time? [laughs]

David: Absolutely! That’s why you need a considerable amount of time to execute these tasks properly since many of them only offer one chance, and then it’s “That’s all she wrote!” However, we’ve been quite fortunate as many things have turned out successfully for us. We always held the belief that if necessary, we could enhance visual effects to rectify any issues. More often than not, this strategy proved successful and rewarding. But you must be prepared to adjust everything around it. For instance, there’s a scene where blood spills everywhere, so we had to shoot it last because we literally wrecked the set. Therefore, there was no going back from that. It simply requires a lot of…

Gary: It’s prep.

David: Prep, yes.

Gary: He puts in a lot of groundwork, which I believe is crucial when creating a film. He initially produces simplified versions that later become part of the final product on the big stage. It’s like working with cardboard and other basic materials…

David: Sometimes it’s drawings, sometimes it’s shooting something…

Gary: However, it seems you’re often using your iPhone. Often, we might ask David, “How are you going to accomplish this task?”, to which he responds with a solution that resembles content from his channel, and we’d exclaim, “Wow, that looks fantastic!” in just 30 seconds.

David: That’s what I truly enjoy, it’s somewhat like solving an enigma. It’s all about being ingenious in figuring out “how can we accomplish this task while avoiding that obstacle?

Gary: Yeah that’s where the awe comes from, it’s great.

Until Dawn opens in theaters on April 25th.

Read More

2025-04-16 20:07