Horror fans were lucky to see a full panel of the Sony Pictures’ Until Dawn creative team at WonderCon 2025. The film is about a group of friends trapped in a time loop who must survive until dawn to escape a gruesome death. It is based on Playstation’s video game of the same name.

Cast members Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, ​Odessa A’zion, ​Ji-young Yoo, and Belmont Cameli sat on the panel with director David F. Sandberg, writer Gary Dauberman, and Playstation executive, Carter Swan. As they promoted the gory horror film, the theme of the panel was one of love and cast unity. The actors authentically supported one another with the added element of being awe-struck by their ability to overcome the challenges associated with filming this movie.

Sandberg (Lights Out, Shazam) began the panel with excitement over being part of the horror genre. He joked that he was dying to make a horror film long ago but said “I needed to do Shazam! 2 before those damn kids grow up.”

The crowd cheered when Sandberg mentioned trying to incorporate as many practical effects as possible. He promised “lots of latex and blood.” Rubin (The Idea of You, Anora) enjoyed the practical effects too, saying “I felt honored to watch the process.”

Producer and writer Dauberman (It, Anabelle Comes Home) commented on adapting the game to film. While he knows the game as a fan, he said “I didn’t want to replicate the same experience sitting on my couch playing the game.” Dauberman was reluctant to name any comps, rather he used tropes from each type of horror movie. For example, he used the shaky cam from the slasher genre and the creaky floorboards from Paranormal. He labelled Until Dawn as “the greatest hits of each subgenre.”

Actor Cimino was asked about how this compares to his teen comedy-drama show, Love, Victor. “This is so different from Love, Victor,” he replied. Yoo was asked about her extreme self-tape audition because her character has extensive physical demands. She responded with a smile, “I love doing stunt work. I come from a dance background.”

After watching a terrifying scene projected to the audience, Cameli who plays the outcast, commented, “I’ve seen that before and it still scared the shit out of me.”

The panel closed with a question about Swedish actor Peter Stormare who stars in the film. Sandberg, who is also Swedish, said he wanted to work with the Fargo actor on Lights Out, but “the studio said he’s way too creepy and weird to play a family guy.”

Yoo described Stormare as a “wonderful and strange man,” and everyone lit up when discussing how he’s a massive Hello Kitty fan. “He’s as cool as you think he would be,” said Rubin.

The film was shot in Budapest. Sandberg said he used many real locations in the tunnels underneath Budapest, saving production a lot of money.

Swan always thought this could be a great franchise: “It’s been a joy to watch it come to life… We’re so proud of it.”

Until Dawn is exclusively in theaters April 25. The trailer is available here.