Until Dawn filmmakers on The Last of Us effect on video game adaptations

How do you make a movie inspired by a video game that was itself inspired by the horror genre as a whole?

This was the challenge that faced Until Dawn director/producer David F. Sandberg and producer/co-writer Gary Dauberman. They had to find a way into a game that involved a slasher narrative, with elements borrowed from both psychological thrillers and creature-feature flicks. So, to all that, they also added a time-loop device — but not in the way you might predict.

Until Dawn follows Clover (Ella Rubin) and her friends (Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, and Belmont Cameli) as they trace the last steps of her missing sister (Maia Mitchell). But once this crew cross paths with divinely eerie character actor Peter Stormare, reprising his role as Dr. Hill from the game, things go horrifically sideways. Trapped in a time loop, each time they die — from one of the various threats that lurk in Glore Valley — the night resets. To get out, they'll need to survive until dawn.

Sitting down with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Sandberg and Dauberman shared how they chose to bring together the time loop and horror anthology concepts into their adaptation, why Stormare reprising his role was a no-brainer, and the impact The Last of Us has had on the public opinion of video game adaptations.

Until Dawn opens in theaters April 25.