In a bold attempt to blend various genres, director David F. Sandbergs adaptation of the popular 2015 video game, Until Dawn, is an ambitious yet muddled affair. The film attempts to be a faithful adaptation, a Groundhog Day-style repeating-day narrative, a comedy, a serious exploration of trauma, and a homage to every horror subgenre imaginable, all rolled into one. However, this overwhelming ambition results in a film that struggles to establish a clear identity and ultimately feels more generic than innovative.

The storyline revolves around a group of five teenagers embarking on a road trip meant to help one of their own, Clover (played by Ella Rubin), deal with the grief of her sister's mysterious disappearance over a year ago. While the group believes the trip will serve as a form of therapy, Clover harbors her own agenda, secretly investigating her sister's last known whereabouts and leading her friends to uncover the dark secrets of a deserted mining town known as Glore Valley. Within this eerie setting, they stumble upon a peculiar mansion that appears to exist outside the normal flow of time and space.

Upon entering the mansion, the group quickly realizes they have entered a realm filled with strange phenomena. They discover walls adorned with photographs of missing individuals from the town, a bizarre guest book, and a peculiar hourglass that hints at the mansion's sinister nature. The terror escalates when a masked killer brutally slaughters them, only for the teenagers to find themselves inexplicably transported back to their initial moments in the mansion, memories of their gruesome deaths still fresh in their minds. This pattern continues as they face additional threats from various monsters, prompting the group to realize that in order to escape this nightmarish place, they must endure until dawn.

As the film progresses into the third or fourth reset, it becomes increasingly exhilarating. It seems to promise a mash-up of horror classics, reminiscent of The Cabin in the Woods combined with Groundhog Day, where each new night introduces a fresh kind of horror. Although this is not the thematic focus of the original game, the premise holds potential, particularly given Sandberg's skill in crafting tense cinematic horror sequences. While the initial monsters may not be groundbreaking, Sandberg excels in building suspense, employing clever cinematic techniques that keep the audience on edge, even when we already know how the characters will meet their doom during each reset.

Sandberg and his team have touted Until Dawn as a love letter to horror films, and for the first half of the movie, it genuinely feels that way. While it does not reinvent the wheel for slasher or monster genres, the filmmakers' passion for the material is palpable, resulting in moments that are both engaging and thrilling.

However, just as viewers settle in to watch the characters face their gruesome fates repeatedly, the film abruptly shifts gears, skipping several days ahead in the timeline. Instead of witnessing the events that transpired during these days, audiences are shown snippets of the groups misadventures filmed by one character, Abe (Belmont Cameli), on his cellphone. This montage features short clips of their subsequent deaths, which, ironically, turn out to be the films most effective and terrifying sequences. These segments are enhanced by stunning practical effects and frightening creatures, including a grotesque, skin-invading worm that infects its host with a dreadful black goo, and a terrifyingly tall figure in a trench coat and mask that moves in an unnaturally menacing manner.

It would be understandable if these chilling sequences were relegated to a brief montage if the remainder of the film was filled with equally fresh horrors. Unfortunately, after this montage, Sandberg spends the majority of the films runtime painfully delving into the lore and mythology of this world, imposing a horror as trauma metaphor that has plagued the genre over the past decade. The only brief reprieve from this drawn-out exposition comes when the group is pursued by the films least developed monsters, leaving viewers with the nagging sensation that a far more terrifying and captivating version of Until Dawn remains trapped in Abes cellphone footage.

By the films conclusion, the initial resetting days, along with the cellphone footage, feel disappointingly unfulfilled. While one could excuse a lackluster narrative if the film's climax delivered something compelling, the finale instead resembles a clichd third act typical of lesser Blumhouse productions.

The original Until Dawn video game stands out as a unique horror experience, rich with folklore, big scares, and a storyline that evolves based on player choices. Its clever twists continuously subvert expectations, shifting genres with each plot turn. It is evident that a direct adaptation of the games storyline was not feasible for this film. Yet, the intriguing repeating-day concept seemed like a perfect compromise for the games choice-driven mechanics. Ultimately, the movie adaptation of Until Dawn does not fail due to a lack of faithfulness to the game; rather, it falters because it is simply boringsomething the game has never been.

Audiences can catch Until Dawn in theaters starting April 25.