‘Until Dawn’: the survival horror movie climbing the Netflix charts
Netflix fans around the globe have had a jolly good week, and it shows. But while craving for a sweet tooth, something horrifying landed Netflix’s dessert counter: the 2025 survival horror movie, Until Dawn. While Adam Sandler literally had every rusty player joining the playfield with Happy Gilmore 2, a chunk of viewers seemingly swapped the comedic pills for creepy thrills.
Until Dawn is currently ranked number ten globally on Netflix’s most popular movies chart. The film is also a top ten movie in four countries, including the US, where it enjoys a far more comfortable seat at number six. Observing the global vs US trends, it’s clear that the video game adaptation is storming the Netflix charts. Before you know it, you’ll probably find it lurking in the top five.
For those unaware, Until Dawn follows a group of friends stranded in a desolate area who end up discovering they’re stuck in a sinister time loop. Each night, a new terror emerges, and every death resets the clock, unleashing a fresh horror. Their only hope for survival lies in enduring the endless night, fighting to see a new dawn. The film is derived from PlayStation Studios’ 2015 video game.
While Until Dawn is set in the same universe as the game, the story is an original standalone narrative. The film received lukewarm ratings on aggregate review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. But Netflix subscribers, particularly in the US, seem to be embracing the slasher horror with open arms.
The fact that it draws and still differs from the famous video game could be one of the simple explanations behind Until Dawn’s streaming rise on Netflix. While it has done a fan service by inculcating the beloved video game Easter eggs, complaints about the film’s over-the-top departure from the original game persist.
But Netflix thrives on audience polarity. For newcomers with no preconceived expectations, Until Dawn is as good as new. Sure, it detaches itself from the game, leaving fans to lament the lack of enough relevance. However, Until Dawn also offers a fresh take, giving viewers enough novelty to feel fresh in familiarity.
Then comes the algorithmic horsepower to back up its momentum on streaming. And it looks like, that’s enough to keep viewers seated, especially when the week has been all about flexing funny bones all around.