Spoiler-Free Review of “Until Dawn” in Theaters: A Forgettable Horror Flick

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“That’s where people get in trouble…”

Until Dawn released in theaters on April 25th 2025. Based on the video game of the same name, the survival horror film stars Ella Rubin, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Odessa A’zion, Michael Cimino, and Peter Stormare. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-three minutes.

One year after her sister’s disappearance, Clover and her friends head to the spot where she vanished looking for answers, leading them into a never-ending trap that causes them to relive the same day over and over again after facing horrific deaths.

Here is the trailer:

Until Dawn has an eerie enough premise and some decent kills, but does it do enough to stand out in the horror genre? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Playstation Productions

Solid premise.

I was hooked by the trailer and thought this one had a lot of potential. I’m familiar with the game, but I wouldn’t say that I am that knowledgeable on it so I went into this with no real expectations. I thought the setup was a decent one and our cast did a good enough job with what they were given.

Images courtesy of Playstation Productions

Peter Stormare!

He voiced Dr. Hill in the game and I thought it was genius that they cast him in the movie. I’m a huge fan of his since Prison Break and thought he was the BEST part of the movie.

He embraced his role (even though it wasn’t a large one) and just went with it, bringing us plenty of creepy vibes.

Ella Rubin gave us a decent performance as well as Clover, but she needed some more layers. The backstory was there, but it wasn’t fleshed out enough. I liked her though!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Playstation Productions

Cheesy jump scares and too many forced tropes.

Ugh, I really wanted to like this movie. It wasn’t bad, but it really wasn’t good either. It was just kind of meh…?

I didn’t jump once despite all of the overused scares. I thought it was cool that they had some Easter eggs for fans of the game, but I think they could have used more of them.

The reliving the same day over and over plot has been done a million times before and I don’t think this film did anything that unique or new with it. Some of the effects were cool, but everything just felt really safe and by the numbers.

I wanted this movie to just break some barriers and go for something extreme, but we never reached that point.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Playstation Productions

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Until Dawn ultimately misses the mark, relying too heavily on cheesy jump scares and overdone plot gimmicks.

This was a boring and frustrating watch and I was really disappointed.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Until Dawn in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

CHECKING OUT WAS NEVER AN OPTION…

A weekend getaway goes horribly wrong when Charlotte suspects that a guest at her bed-and-breakfast has gone missing. A heart-pounding thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay is available below! I hope you enjoy!

We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Night Swim” in Theaters: Skip the Dip…

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“I always wanted a pool…”

Night Swim (based off the 2014 short of the same name) released in theaters on January 5th 2024. The supernatural horror film stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, and Jodi Long. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty-eight minutes.

A former baseball player moves into a new home and is hoping that their pool can give him the therapy he needs, but a malevolent force is unleashed instead, terrorizing those closest to him.

Here is the trailer:

Night Swim attempts to channel films like Jaws and The Amityville Horror, but goes off the deep end with its reveals. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Eerie premise with a decent enough opening.

The film started off with some potential. I liked the opening and thought we were on our way to experiencing a creepy supernatural flick, but sometimes a film can’t find its way past an initial concept.

That being said, there were some more disturbing moments sprinkled in throughout the film, but nothing to get too excited about…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Takes itself too seriously.

I think this was my biggest issue with this film. It really could have benefited from some campy fun. Instead, it was just laughable and silly in all the wrong ways. The reveal was not worth sticking around for and some of the dialogue was beyond atrocious. The actors were decent enough, but they were stuck in uninspiring roles so it made it difficult for me to really invest in any of them.

This film also relied too heavily on desperate jump scares, which didn’t add anything to the film. Instead, it just showed off how extremely shallow it was.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

Night Swim gets off to a creepy start, but it never quite finds its way past the concept, making this an uninspiring watch overall.

I was expecting a lot more from my first horror watch of the year.

I hope you enjoyed the review and please feel free to share your thoughts on Night Swim in the comments section!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, HER NIGHT FROM HELL HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN…

After working the night shift, Ashley becomes entangled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a local street gang, forcing her to come up with a plan to survive the night by turning the tables on them.

Ashley must fight for her life and take them out one by one if she wants to make it to morning…

My young adult revenge thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Make it Through the Night is available here!

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