@Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Until Dawn : One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one… only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the night again and again — only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
Director : David F. Sandberg
Producer : Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, David F. Sandberg, Lotta Losten, Roy Lee, Gary Dauberman, Mia Maniscalco
Screenwriter : Gary Dauberman, Balier butler
Distributor : Screen Gems
Production Co : Screen Gems, PlayStation Productions, Vertigo Entertainment
Rating : R (Language Throughout|Gore|Strong Bloody Horror Violence)
Genre : Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language : English
Release Date (Theaters) : Apr 25, 2025, Wide
Runtime: 1h 43m
@Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Press Conference with Actors Ji-young Yoo, Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Belmont Cameli
Q: How has it been to shoot your first major horror movies? What was the biggest challenge in stepping into this genre?
Ji-young Yoo: Yes, this is my first horror movie, period. Moving into genre stuff from more indie movies or renewed series, especially this movie moving through multiple types of horror sub-genres, was a really exciting, a real acting challenge. I love stunts, I’ve been a dancer my whole life so doing lots of stunts. Sometimes horror might not seem like you’re doing stunt work, because things are happening to you but I would say that getting hit is actually harder to do from a stunt perspective than doing the hitting.
Q: So, in saying that, are you more inclined to do horror movies now?
Ji-young Yoo: The one thing that I’m always looking for in my career, which is why I signed on for Until Dawn, is to try to do something I’ve never done before. That certainly means that it’s not that I wouldn’t return, I certainly would, but it would have to be something very different from what I just did. It is a challenge because we’ve covered many genres through this one film. But if the script is good, yes. Absolutely.
Q: Portraying characters in a horror movie can be pretty tough. You go through many different things in this film, especially because of the time loop situation, you get killed multiple times. How did you prepare for your role and what challenges did this cause for you as an actor?
Ella Rubin – I watched a lot of horror films. I was quite squeamish about them before, but watching like 30 horror films within the month before I went to film this was pretty insane. I watched a lot of films about grief, which is a big part of my character’s story. I just physically wanted to get my body ready for the challenges that come with doing a horror film, like screaming, running or being snacked and ragged. All those things. I just wanted to be as strong as I could.
@Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Q : “Until Dawn” is a survival horror film, how did you all work together to create the tension and camaraderie necessary for each character?
Belmont Cameli: It was so easy. I remember the instant I met everybody distinctly. We got along so well, the chemistry was instantaneous. We were sequestered all in the same building in Budapest, which can be difficult but wasn’t. We had so much fun. That felt like a gift, as a performer, to be able to consider those people some of your closest friends. We pulled it off really well. I was really happy to work with them.
Q: Would you say you had to mentally prepare yourself as well?
Ella Rubin: I love to read the script over and over and over again. I did a lot of character work on Clover because she’s someone who you can’t quite tell who she is for quite a while in the film. She is a little bit mysterious, because she’s lost herself so deeply after losing her sister and her mother. I still wanted to be incredibly sure of who she is and where she was before this moment. I just sat and thought about the way she’s changed and who she is. I really wanted to be completely locked in on who she is despite the lack of visible personality at all times.
Michael Cimino: For me a lot of it was figuring out the relationships between the characters and what emotional memories I had for each person. You’re just imagining losing the person that you love the most, losing one of your best friends immediately pulls you into that, having specific memories or specific connections to each character defined a lot of my portrayal of Max and how I approached the role.
Q: Which has been David Sandberg’s best quality as a director during filming?
Ji-young Yoo: I love how honest he is. He’s incapable of lying. If he doesn’t like something, he’s like: “Don’t do that, I didn’t like it”. I’m always worried that someone is not telling me the truth, so I always appreciated it when he would say something, it was great.
Belmont Cameli: He’s got great vision. His mind’s eyes are really sharp. He knows what he wants his movies to look like, we spoke a little bit about his previous work which is phenomenal. He spends a lot of time knowing exactly how he’ll take what is usually on paper as a shot list.
@Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Q: Do you approach a role differently when working on a TV series with multiple episodes compared to a single movie screenplay with a limited number of scenes?
Michael Cimino: That’s a great question. I approach every project a little differently, I try to evolve, try something new every time so I can see what works or doesn’t. In this movie we had very deep connections to all the characters, very deep intimate relationships with one another, and years of friendship.
Q: What sort of chemistry was necessary to depict these relationships in the film?
Ella Rubin: We got really lucky. We all genuinely love each other. The first night that we all got to Budapest where we shot the film, it was like magic. We just all sat together and I couldn’t stop talking. I really feel like we’re all really good friends in real life and it’s led into the work.
Michael Cimino: I’ve never seen more sunrises with any group of people than with this one. We’ve seen so many sunrises together, we all helped each other get through this shoot because it was grueling, a lot of hard work, a lot of the practical effects. Even though it made it harder, I feel like it really translates to the screen, the quality of it resonates. It was all worth it, we just immediately clicked.
Q: So which has been for you the most challenging scene to shoot emotionally and physically?
Michael Cimino: We had this very intimate scene that was really hard emotionally. We both wanted to make sure that it was the best it could be because everyone has a moment like that in real life, even though obviously the circumstances are very exaggerated. Those moments where you’re leaning on your partner or your friend, we wanted to make sure that it was accurate and represented.
Ella Rubin: Emotionally, there’s one scene in the film where I have to make a really difficult choice and I’m alone, separated from my friends. It’s a moment where Clover has to define her strength again, gather what she’s learned on this journey so far and choose to do something horrible and difficult that she knows is a necessary thing. That was really emotionally challenging. We shot it underground in these crazy tunnels, they were like 15 degrees and soaking wet. It was an intense environment. That’s my most physically challenging scene. Everyday was a little intense. Being dragged and screaming over and over again was quite intense. It was really helpful feeling scared as much as I possibly could, but it was a physical challenge for sure.
Q: Your character is going to be very involved in his film. He’s pretty much in most of the picture. How did you approach your character’s relationship with everyone else?
Belmont Cameli: Abe is on the outside of this friend group. They’ve grown up together, they’re loyal, they love each other. He’s the outsider. He has a different perspective. He thinks he’s right. He’s the voice of reason and logic, it was fun to butt heads and to go against the current with what he perceived was the best way to survive. He brings a comedic element to the film, which goes really well hand-in-hand, with the horror element. It’s great to watch a movie that makes you scream, makes you laugh, and makes you cry. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s really fun to watch in a theater with an audience.
@Courtesy of Sony Pictures
If you like the press conference, share your thoughts below!
Check out more of Adriano’s articles.
Here’s the trailer of Until Dawn: