By Until Dawn director David F. Sandberg has discussed the primary difficulties of creating a time loop horror film – and as you might expect, a significant portion involves blood and violence.
“There were numerous technical obstacles. For instance, the quantity of clothing… the identical set of clothing,” he shares with GamesRadar+, in anticipation of the video game adaptation’s premiere on April 25. “For Clover’s costume, we had around 90 [sets] because there are so many distinct phases, plus we had to keep backups and clothes solely for stunts. It was quite a challenge to source so many of each item, you know, pair of pants or similar, so much of it [was crafted by] the costume department.”
Then came the scheduling… According to Sandberg, the principal photography required careful planning to ensure that the most intense scenes were filmed towards the conclusion of the process. “It gets peculiar,” he chuckles. “You know, the bathroom scene that turns quite gory? That, we had to film last because we completely wrecked the set. There was blood everywhere. You couldn’t clean that up.”
“Even the props that were situated in [other areas], like, I have the guest book… I kept it and it’s just, like, drenched in blood. Soaked through. So, yes, we had to film that [entire sequence] last, which was a bit disappointing because it was the one I anticipated most, and I had to wait the longest for, but it also resulted in the best outcome, in my opinion.”
Loosely inspired by the 2015 game of the same title, Until Dawn tracks a group of young adults who find themselves trapped in a time loop where they are pursued by various horrifying threats. If they perish, the night resets, introducing new creatures and villains, including witches, wendigos, and masked serial killers, for them to confront.
In this way, the film unfolds like an affectionate tribute to various types of horror films, from slashers to supernatural tales. During one iteration, Sandberg even ventures into found-footage territory, reminiscent of Paranormal Activity – as the characters review the nights they cannot vividly recall via videos on one of their devices.
“It was incredibly enjoyable, as they were so independent from everything else. They didn’t need to connect with any other scenes. This allowed me to try things I’ve been eager to do for a long time. The worm in the face has been a concept I’ve had for ages. The red corridor with the tall masked figure, who is actually me… we shot that on a miniature set to create the illusion of height. That’s something I’ve always wanted to accomplish. Just construct a smaller version of a set to make someone appear enormous. They were all somewhat improvised, like, ‘Alright, it’s the conclusion of the day, you have these three actors, what can you create with that?’ That’s the reason not everyone appears in [those videos], because we had to send, like, Ella [Rubin] home so she could return early the next morning.”
Sandberg, who makes a fleeting cameo in the film, further disclosed that the original script included a scene where Michael Cimino’s character Max stabs one of the franchise’s most legendary monsters. “We ran out of time, we couldn’t execute it, and I w