10 Chilling Easter Eggs in the Until Dawn Movie You Totally Missed

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Until Dawn.

David F. Sandberg’s movie version of “Until Dawn” diverges quite a bit from the video game it was based on, but it doesn’t shy away from honoring its origins. Throughout the story, as Clover and her friends navigate the spooky Glore lodge in search of Melanie, the film is filled with subtle references or “Easter eggs” for fans of the original game to find and appreciate, enhancing their movie-watching experience until the very end.

In Sandberg’s Until Dawn film, viewers will notice some well-known monsters and characters from the video game harassing the main characters. This horror remake also includes visual cues that experienced gamers might recognize as elements from the original content. Although this movie adaptation made several changes for the cinema, it’s clear that the filmmakers did their homework, as demonstrated by the many clever references (or Easter eggs) scattered throughout the film.

10. The Journal

Melanie’s Writing Reflects Another Character’s Monstrous Transformation

At the Glore lodge, Clover and her companions stumble upon a logbook filled with the signatures of those unfortunate souls trapped and claimed by the house’s malevolent power. Remarkably, these signatures recur each time the house’s temporal loop regenerates. Yet, Melanie’s signatures become increasingly faint as days pass, hinting at her gradual deterioration as she metamorphoses into a Wendigo.

This log entry mirrors the content of Hannah’s journal within the game, where she recorded her final days spent imprisoned in the mines. Similarly to Melanie, Hannah’s writings grow increasingly disorganized and resemble hurried scrawls as she undergoes a transformation into the terrifying Wendigo creature.

9. The Grave Site

Beth Appears In Spirit Through A Mysterious Cross

As a passionate cinephile, I found the movie adaptation of “Until Dawn” intriguing, particularly its opening and closing scenes where characters struggle to flee from the Wendigo by crawling out of an underground tunnel close to a grave marked with a cross. This tombstone harks back to a similar location in the video game, hinting that Hannah interred Beth’s remains there and placed a wooden cross on her grave. Interestingly, the film’s cross doesn’t bear any name, leading me to ponder if this plot of land was initially intended as the final resting place for someone else.

8. Hartley’s

A Quaint Store Pays Homage To One Of Until Dawn’s Original Characters

In the movie, during their quest to locate Clover’s sister Melanie, Clover and her companions pause at a store named “Hartley’s.” This location holds significance as it was the last place where Melanie was spotted before she vanished, having been featured in a video sent to Clover. Although they don’t find Melanie there, someone else who could potentially be relevant to their investigation is mentioned during this scene.

The store’s name is a direct nod to Chris Hartley, a friend of Josh and one of the eight playable characters in the “Until Dawn” video game. Interestingly, at first glance, it seems like someone other than Chris is managing the store – that character being Dr. Alan Hill, who was also featured in the game.

7. The Woman With The Oxygen Tank

The Glore Witch Takes A Move From The Mystery Man’s Playbook

At a certain point in the movie, Clover finds herself confronted by an evil crone named the Glore Witch. This character then takes control of Clover, using an oxygen mask on her, causing her to kill Max. Although the Glore Witch appears to be based on the ghost puppet used by Josh in the game, she is actually more directly influenced by the Mystery Man.

In the video game, the enigmatic character known as the Mystery Man incapacitates his targets using gas. The movie appears to further develop this method when the glass causes Clover to faint, allowing the witch to seize control of her body. Later, the controlled Clover adorns a mask similar to that worn by the Mystery Man.

6. The Hourglass

Until Dawn’s Iconic Hourglass Plays A New Role In The Film

In the video game “Until Dawn,” there’s a striking image often linked: a skull-shaped hourglass. This prop is used as a chilling emblem in the game’s cover art, symbolizing the passing of time and how the player’s decisions can have ripple effects on upcoming events, much like a butterfly’s wings causing a storm far away.

Initially appearing as merely a decorative element in the film, the hourglass assumes far more importance within the storyline. Within the movie’s spooky mansion, an hourglass adorned with a skull is mounted on the wall. This enigmatic artifact mysteriously resets every night, implying that time has been turned back and all deaths that transpired are annulled.

5. The Missing Posters

Many Notable Figures Appear As One Of The Film’s Missing Persons

As Abel wanders through the ancient Glore Valley residence, he stumbles upon a room adorned with numerous posters that have disappeared from the walls. These posters display the faces of individuals whose lives were tragically taken by the malevolent force haunting Clover and her companions. Reminiscent of the missing posters for Hannah and Beth seen in the game, these new posters serve as an expansion. Notably, a miner is among those depicted, foreshadowing a later event in the narrative. Furthermore, the director of ‘Until Dawn’, David F. Sandberg, is also shown on one of these posters, hinting that no one, not even him, is immune to danger within his own film’s world.

4. The Mystery Man

An Iconic Villain From The Game Appears In 2025’s Until Dawn

In contrast to the movie boasting numerous supernatural beings, it maintains one of the game’s human antagonists – the Mystery Man. In the game, this villain, known as Josh, pursues and attempts to eliminate members from the main group while disguised with a terrifying mask, adopting the identity of Victor Milgram, an escaped convict. Although this slasher character is an entirely distinct figure in the film, he is portrayed wearing a mask reminiscent of the one used in the game.

3. The Wendigos

The Game’s Fearsome Monsters Return To Scare Folks In The Film

One chilling feature within the video game “Until Dawn” is the Wendigos. Originally depicted in their source material as humans who turned to cannibalism and were then cursed by an evil spirit called the Wendigo, becoming monstrous creatures themselves. Remarkably, Melanie, played by Clover’s sister, undergoes a similar transformation, much like Hannah, Josh’s sister, does in the game.

In contrast to the game, the movie adaptation of “Until Dawn” maintains the chilling authenticity of the Wendigos as originally conceived. Yet, an unusual twist is introduced in this version – a colossal Wendigo, towering like a building, menacingly obstructs Nina and Abel’s attempts to escape from the Glore lodge by car.

2. Peter Stormare

One Of The Game’s Cast Members Returns In The Film

In “Until Dawn” movie, although the main cast varies from the video game, it does feature an actor who was involved with the original material. Peter Stormare, known for his role as Dr. Alan Hill in the game, plays the character with the same name in the film adaptation.

In the original text, Dr. Alan Hill is portrayed as Josh’s psychiatrist in the narrative, who appears to him during hallucinations throughout the game. Contrastingly, the movie depicts Dr. Hill as the primary villain, carrying out experiments on Clover and her companions. As they succumb to their transformations into monsters, he observes their deaths.

1. The Second House

The Film Seems To Tease A More Faithful Sequel With Its Final Image

One significant variation between the video game and movie adaptations of Until Dawn lies in their respective settings. The video game transpires within a secluded snowy mountain lodge, whereas the film unfolds in a house nestled in a valley amidst a downpour. In contrast to the movie’s climax where Clover slays Dr. Hill and escapes the house with her companions, the ending shifts to Dr. Hill’s office for a concluding reference to the original game version.

In Hill’s office, there was a strange cut to a snow-filled lodge, reminiscent of the Washington Lodge, as the credits began to roll. This suggests that Dr. Hill may have had multiple locations for his supernatural experiments, one more akin to the setting of the Until Dawn video game, where I, as a supporter, believe he continued his work.

2025-04-25 22:38