Speak Now Storyteller

Summary: When eight friends return to the isolated lodge where two of their group vanished a year prior, fear tightens its icy grip, and their mountain retreat descends into a nightmare with no escape.

So it’s been announced that Until Dawn will be getting a movie adaptation and I think that’s cool. I feel like it doesn’t need one because the game is almost a movie itself but I think it lends itself to a movie since it’s your basic teen slasher horror story with paranormal elements in there. I know people have said they want the original cast back but I don’t think so, they’re too old. These characters are teenagers, they are either high school seniors, graduating high school seniors and college freshman with Josh being the oldest probably already in college, if that’s the route he took. So, everyone being 29+, it’s just too old. Jordan Fisher in my opinion is the only one who could kind of return as Matt but the other big thing is that both Matt and Josh have completely different body types from Jordan Fisher and Rami Malek so I don’t know if some things would work as well because of that lol. But anyway, I decided to give my two cents on this movie, what they could do and the casting.

I think it would be fun if they did what Clue did back in the day, where depending on which theater location you go to and depending on which screening you’re in, the ending would be different. That way on the print version, there would be alternate endings you could see if you didn’t get the chance to see all the endings in the theaters. I believe in Clue there are 3 endings with one being the true ending. So I think Until Dawn should do the same, I know there are a ton of endings depending on the player and what not but for a movie, you can’t really do that.

Ending 1: “Most Die” – Jessica is killed because Mike didn’t make it time. Ashley investigates Jessica’s voice but remembers Mike said she’s dead but is still attacked by the Wendigo and is killed. Sam fails the “don’t move”, maybe she trips or something and Mike has to set off the explosion. Josh is killed by HannahWendigo (Emily, Matt and Chris survive)

Ending 2: “Half Survive” – Chris is killed on his way back to the mansion (especially since he hurts his ankle) after the stranger dies (but the Stranger won’t die in the same way because that was always dumb). Matt is killed (hook death) when trying to save Emily. Emily is caught by HannahWendigo and killed (eye gouge or maybe grinder). Josh can die or be turned. (Jessica, Sam, Ashley, Mike survive).

Ending 3: “The True Ending” – Everyone survives and Josh is turned into a Wendigo.

Josh’s Pranks

I think it would be important to make all the jump scares be there for Chris, Ashley and Sam but not for the audience because the jump scares are lame a lot of the time and we don’t need an overabundance of them but since Josh set them up with the intention to scare his friends, they should only be geared towards the characters with maybe one or two set for the characters and the audience… but this is only when it comes to Josh’s prank. I also think it’s important for the characters (and audience) to find out that Josh was intending to prank the others and his overall intentions since it’s always a question as to why he pranked Chris and Sam who seemingly had nothing to do with Hannah’s prank and he was so cruel to them. Technically Sam did know about the prank, at the beginning she says “Isn’t this cruel?” and Jess responds “I’m just looking out for my girl Em” but of course Sam was trying to find Hannah to warn her. So as far as we know, everyone knew about the prank, except for Chris, Josh and Beth (not counting Hannah obviously). It’s theorized since Chris does have lines later that he might have had something to do with it, and people think his job was to distract Josh but that’s not confirmed. So I think the movie has the opportunity to fill story holes that the game has.

It seemed like Josh planned to film Jessica and Mike in the lodge and post it, in the same way they were recording Hannah’s undressing and humiliation. But that was probably plan B, because it doesn’t seem like he intended to really send anyone away right off the bat but because Mike and Matt and Emily and Jess got into that fight, and he doesn’t like arguments, he sent them off. And he hid Emily’s bag so Matt and Emily would have to go back outside and I guess he was going to scare them on their way back to the lodge? Or while they were outside since he could control literally everything. For Chris and Ashley, he says he wanted to make them trauma bond since Chris was dragging his feet on making a move but then there’s Sam and I think that she and Josh were pretty close, as she was best friends with Hannah and it seemed like maybe she was around a lot in the year after their disappearance. I think he was trying to keep her out of the way. Plus the whole healer thing. In the end, in Josh’s misguided way he was trying to bring the group closer together and “heal” them through trauma but… yeah. I mean definitely not excusing his actions but just reiterating what was going on. I also think it would give them a good chance to handle Josh’s mental illness better as well.

Anyways, on to the fancast! I don’t have any honorable mentions for these! I think who I chose are great options! No backups lol

Ashley Brown

Ashley is described to be inquisitive, forthright and academic with a crush on Chris. I was honestly indifferent to Ashley when I first watched a playthrough. She was fine, easily scared and jumpy which makes the stuff in the house sometimes annoying because she’s screaming so much. It’s clear that she’s the one who easily believes in everything that’s happening around her, which makes Josh’s pranks seem even more insane because of how she’s reacting. Don’t get me wrong, what’s going on is traumatic, especially with “Josh” being sawed in half, but sheesh lol. I don’t think she adds much to any survivability, she just asks a lot of questions “What? What guy?” I feel like she’s there to be unhinged most of the time lol. She can die many times in the story once they find out about the Wendigos, mostly in the latter half of the story, but she also can get others killed and this is why I actually ended up strongly disliking her. She can directly lead to Chris dying (twice really but only once feels kind of intentional even though they say it’s not) and inciting terror which could lead to Emily being murdered by Mike. She can watch while Chris dies because during one of the pranks, Chris could potentially point the gun at her (even though she does scream for him to shoot her and not himself lol, sure sure she’s scared but still) and she’s mad at him, doesn’t trust him anymore and she doesn’t open the door for him and he’s decapitated in front of her.

When I saw that that could happen, I was like girl… but that only happens depending on what you do with Chris earlier on. Now what really made me dislike her, outside of being generally annoyed by her, is when Emily is bitten by HannahWendigo and Ashley sees the bite and incites fear in the group, “GO GET OUT OF HERE!” which could lead to Mike shooting Emily in the face. This outcome (not Mike shooting Emily but Ashley freaking out) seems to happen generally because of the loss of the flare gun which seems to be hard to keep. But either way of what happens to Emily, she ends up reading The Stranger’s journal to see that the bites don’t make them turn and she can either not tell the group or share it… I love it if Emily is alive and she shares it.

Her Deaths

Ashley can only die in the later half of the game once the Wendigos are officially shown in Emily’s chapter. She can investigate Jessica’s voice in a trap door, she can open it and her head gets ripped off, she can unlock it but not open it but Hannah pops out and same outcome. She can die in the lodge if Sam doesn’t choose to save her, she’ll get her eyes gouged out by HannahWendigo or if Sam runs to the switch before Ashley can escape, she’ll be incinerated.

Previously played by Galadriel Stineman who I think does a good job with Ashley’s terror and makes her sweet when the moments are called for But also is so good at making me dislike her lol.

Top Choice: Amybeth McNulty

I first saw Amybeth in Anne with an ‘E’ where she played Anne and I really liked her, I liked that show overall and still sad it got cancelled, but I was then pleased to see her in Stranger Things, very Molly Ringwald, I thought she looked great. She is a natural blonde but she’s been red both times I’ve seen her so that should be fine. I think she would be able to play the sweetness Ashley has in the beginning, especially with Chris, but also when it comes to the constant fear she feels later, I think she would be great at that. A little annoying but you get it. I also think she could do all of the “worse” bits of Ashley very well like her inciting the terror that could kill Emily or watching Chris get killed. I think she’d be very good in this role.

Emily Davis

Emily is described as intelligent, resourceful and persuasive and I think all of these traits are highlighted throughout the game. The way she is able to maneuver Matt around in situations, the way she makes her way through the mines later highlight the other two aspects. In the beginning, Emily is not likable and I’m sure that doesn’t change for most people who watch or play the game. I don’t think she becomes more likable as the game goes on because she’s mean and antagonistic. However, I think she has a great arc as the game goes on because when she’s in the mines, she’s alone and she manages to survive and escape, she’s also the first character to come into contact with the wendigos where the player sees them. She’s very proactive and it’s because of her that the others learn of the creatures. Plus in the police interviews she can be sweet when it comes to Matt depending on what the player chose to do with him in the game. It’s clear there are still feelings for Mike there but I think it’s also clear that she does really care for Matt. I hate that the one scene between the two where it’s not death and terror inducing is a DLC, what were they thinking?? It would have helped humanize Emily and make sense as to why Matt is with her. She is rough around the edges but I grew to liking her because of how brave she was in navigating the mines on her own, amazing survival instinct. She is the one who wants to go to the radio tower, she’s the one who radios the rangers and you can choose for her to be calm or dramatic and if she’s calm, she explains the situation as best she can, so well. It’s because of her that the group gets rescued by the rangers in the first place.

Her Deaths

I do think her deaths are pretty gruesome and I’m always like damn! But she can die by getting caught by Hannah and getting her eyes gouged out during the chase scene out of the mines if she doesn’t have the flare gun which she can choose to “keep” or “give to Matt” and depending on your choices as Matt, if you give it to him, it could save his life or he’ll shoot it making it unusable. If she has the flare gun, then she can shoot the wendigo in the head and escape and she won’t get bit. Or if she manages to escape HannahWendigo, she can fail her jump (a QTE) and fall into a rusty grinder (what a terrible way to go). She can get blown up in the lodge if Sam runs to the switch before she makes it out, or Mike can SHOOT HER IN THE FACE if the player chooses to do so which I feel like most people who shoot her only do it because they don’t like her. THINK McFLY THINK!

But Emily has my favorite moment in the game. It makes me laugh every time, I’m currently smiling as I include this gif.

Previously played by Nichole Sakura who I think does a great job of Emily’s antagonistic attitude and her tone.

Top Choice: Lily Chee

I’m not super familiar with Lily Chee but I felt like Emily would probably be difficult to cast, so it was between her and another actress. After I watched a couple of her videos, I decided I liked her vibe. Plus, she played Young Elektra in Daredevil so I think she’ll be fine when it comes to the physicality that is required of Emily later in the night.

Samantha “Sam” Giddings

Sam is described as being diligent, considerate and adventurous, along with being Hannah’s best friend. At the beginning, she does know about the prank and tries to find Hannah to prevent her from walking into it. In the end, she doesn’t get to her in time. It’s implied that Sam was close with Josh during the year time jump because of her closeness with his sister and it was probably great for him to have her around. She seems to be pretty easy going with everyone and isn’t afraid to speak up but I think she has a tendency to try and appeal to everyone. Very empathetic. She’s a pacifist so that’s understandable. She’s very athletic, to the point that some of her decisions are stupid just to show off that she’s a rock climber lol. Her leaving Mike and Josh by climbing literally did nothing but show that she could, Josh could have potentially survived if she went with them.

I think Sam is likable but she’s also boring there’s nothing really interesting about her. I’d like the movie to give her a bit more personality. She doesn’t get much to do, after a little stint with Josh in the basement (which I think she and Josh would need to have more screen time), she’s in the bath forever and then basically becomes the main character next to Mike by the end.

Her Death

She only has one chance to die and that’s in the lodge, she can either kill everyone who is left in the lodge by running to the switch early or she can save everyone by biding her time and then running for the switch. That is also the only place she can die where she’s caught by HannahWendigo. I just think it’s important for her to be shown having an actual relationship with the other characters because she doesn’t interact with them as much.

Previously played by Hayden Panetierre who very much gives off final girl vibes. She does a great job at Sam being sweet but brave and driven. I would have loved to see more of her in the game before the end.

Top Choice: Mia Isaac

Chris Hartley

Chris is described as methodical, protective and humorous and I think that’s pretty true, especially the protective and humorous aspects. I mean he’s the funny guy (which I’m sure people find annoying, I know I did), he’s the one who’s making jokes at the beginning of the night and he’s very protective of Ashley when they’re put through the Josh’s “pranks”. It’s very interesting to see how he goes from the funny guy to almost shutting down. Ashley becomes hysterical and he shuts down, particularly after The Stranger dies in front of him.

Chris is also Josh’s best friend, he’s one of the ones we see not involved with the prank (as far as we know anyway) since he was passed out alongside Josh at the table. He’s extremely important to Josh’s storyline and his reveal as he is right in the middle of Josh’s prank. He likes Ashley but is too nervous and scared to make a move, so Josh makes the move for him and according to him, tries to frame Chris as a hero in Ashley eyes to make them become closer. I mean…. it works. But at the cost of Chris’s trust in him and causing trauma for his best friend. Chris is forced to make decisions between saving his best friend and the girl he likes, he’s then forced to save himself or save Ashley. Those kinds of choices can really affect someone. We are also shown that Chris is good with a gun, which helps in that he has to shoot HannahWendigo while running in the show but he doesn’t get too do much outside of that one sequence after that.

His Deaths

Chris can’t die until later in the game, after the Wendigos are introduced and most if not all of his deaths are directly results of Ashley’s choices. He can be attacked by Hannah after The Stranger dies if you fail the QTE, she decapitates him. Or if Ashley doesn’t let him in, same thing. Since Chris gets unavoidably hurt in this sequence, when everyone goes after Mike to warn him about the Wendigos, which if he didn’t leave so hastily, they wouldn’t have had to do this (the movie needs to change this lol). Ashley can choose to leave Chris behind and if Ashley is killed in the trapdoor situation, then Chris dies regardless and this doesn’t matter if he chooses to rejoin the group or investigate the voice. He’ll die. His death at this point is avoidable as long as Ashley lives. If Ashley insists for him to keep going then Chris will live and he can’t die anymore, he’s the first person to run out of the lodge so no matter what happens, Chris will live after this point. Crazy how his death outside of one instance is the result of Ashley lol.

Previously played by Noah Fleiss who I think is fine as Chris, his delivery for the jokes make Chris corny but that’s probably the point lol.

Top Choice: Wyatt Oleff

I was introduced to Wyatt from IT and Stan is probably the most lowkey of the group but he made an impression because he always had this silent righteousness about him in the movie. Then I saw him in I Am Not Okay With This where he’s playing someone completely different and I was impressed that he was corny, lively and funny. I think those things work for Chris and I’m kind of cheating since he’s played a funny man and I like to find actors who haven’t already played a similar role but I feel like Wyatt would be an out of the box choice. I feel like playing Chris, especially after all the trauma he goes through, would be fantastic. Chris changes so much with everything that happens that I think Wyatt would do very well with the arc.

Jessica “Jess” Riley

Jess is described as confident, trusting and irreverent and I have to say that I like Jess lol. It’s really rough going in the beginning because you realize that not only was the prank her idea, she did it “for her girl Emily” but is now dating Mike and her and Emily are constantly going at it because of it. It’s like bro… what??? Because she is the first person HannahWendigo goes after, Jessica doesn’t really get the chance to grow and evolve as a character because we spend the least amount of time with her. I think I heard that she was intended to die no matter what but I’m glad they changed it because I really felt for her by the end. Story wise and character wise, it sucks that she doesn’t know what’s happening or why it’s happening so it would be nice if she could find those things out since the prank was her idea… but depending on how the movie handles her, it may not matter.

She’s the classic damsel in distress, who can open up to Mike (if the player manages to get that far) about her insecurities, and I think the movie should include that conversation regardless because it’s important for her character. I’d like for Jess to have way more screen time before the events of the night pop off because I feel like it’s necessary for her.

Her Deaths

Jess has little impact on the outcome of the game or any of the endings, she’s actually the first person of the group who can die early on. Once she’s pulled out the window (which is an iconic moment, good lord) and Mike chooses the safe options then she’ll die regardless. If Mike rushes after her but fails his QTEs then she’ll die. When he makes it, he’ll find an elevator shaft but she’ll fall from the top, land on the elevator with her jaw torn off. If Mike makes it in time after successfully doing all the stuff, then she’ll still fall and then the elevator will fall and he’ll think she’s dead the rest of the game. If she survived this, then she’ll wake up in the mines later, finds some clothes (if Mike managed to get her out of her coat and boots or her clothes in general), and venture on.

If Matt is still alive, she’ll reunite with him and they’re chased by HannahWendigo. Both us and Matt can see that Jess is extremely injured and cannot roam around by herself, and he’ll try to lead her out of the mines. If Matt chooses to run instead of hide, then Jess, who can’t run (this really pisses me off when people on their first playthrough choose to run, LOOK AT HER!) gets caught and HannahWendigo will tear her jaw off. If they end up hiding, and Matt succeeds in his QTEs then he gets the option to abandon her and if he does… which I feel like is not like Matt at all, causes Hannah to catch her and Jess’s jaw is gone. If they hide but the QTEs and timed choices are failed, then Hannah finds and kills both of them. Which sucks because they are the two who get the least of amount of screen time and some of the most brutal and almost unavoidable deaths. If Matt is dead then Jess has to do all of this on her own, if you choose to run instead of hiding then she’ll be caught and die. If you hide but fail the QTEs or timed choices then Hannah will find her and she dies. Also, the way she says “no, not me…” when the police tell her that Ashley heard her voice in the mines, is so haunting to me.

Previously played by Meaghan Martin which when I realized it was her, I knew her from Camp Rock, I immediately was like “perfect casting” lol. I think she’s great. I mean, it’s not really her fault that the dialogue is super cringe and really bad in places and Meaghan’s tone of voice doesn’t help Jess’s case in the beginning. I think when Jess gets to be soft, Meaghan changes up her voice, as she should.

Top Choice: Meg Donnelly

I’m not familiar with her at all, I know she’s in the Zombies movies from Disney Channel and I’ll eventually watch those, probably for my YouTube channel but while I was looking for blonde actresses she came up, I was like “oh, I like her face” so I went investigating for some videos and I was sold immediately. I like her, I think she’s likable, has a charisma that is necessary for Jess but with a splash of bitchiness and insecurity. I feel like since Jess goes through a lot and makes a major change by the end, I think Meg could play it.

Michael “Mike” Munroe

Mike is described as intelligent, driven and persuasive and I think he’s like Class President or something which would help with the whole “persuasive” thing because I don’t think he gets to do that as much in the game. I feel like once the action starts happening, he spends a lot of time by himself so he doesn’t have anyone to persuade lol. Plus, the player can choose options for dialogue with Jess, but sometimes the things the characters end up saying may not be what you intended with your choice lol. But when we first meet Mike, I was indifferent to him in the beginning. He’s goofy and seems to be a ladies’ man, he seems like the popular one of the group but he’s so corny. But he goes through a major transformation, he turns into Nathan Drake lol. He becomes a fan favorite because of his trek through the mines. Honestly, I was on his side when he immediately rushes after Jessica in his tank top, jeans with a rifle and a lantern. I was like OKAY MIKE. Since we see him hugged up with Emily, it’s like whoa but he actually goes after Jess and even though you can choose to run safe or risky, the fact that he even does it is amazing.

I found him annoying later when Josh’s prank is revealed because Mike thinks that what happened to Jess is because of Josh, like bro you think Josh yanked her through that window like that? You think JOSH who doesn’t look more athletic than Mike, was able to remain leagues ahead of you in the snow while dragging a screaming and squirming girl?? Like bro let’s be so for real right now. You also can make some really stupid decisions as Mike, like punching the wolf, why would you? Or touching the obvious waving hand trap, why would you? Or not blocking the door causing the wolf to be killed! WHY WOULD YOU?? If we have wolves in the movie, obviously outside of the one that does get killed, the other must survive. There are other ways to get Wolfie killed but we don’t do that around here. But Mike truly does become a hero and it’s very rewarding to play as him and discover the history of the Miner Wendigos while in the sanitorium. He also has some of the corniest dialogue in the game, some of them they can keep, to keep in the spirit of the character but some of that can be changed because it’s not funny, it’s corny lol. Oh, I also don’t like that he’s willing to kill Emily without even attempting to understand the situation and I deeply dislike him (and the player) if they choose to kill Emily because of her bite. People tend to shoot her because they don’t like her and I don’t like that.

His Deaths

Mike is one of the two characters who cannot be killed until the lodge sequence. He has a lot of close calls and of course plot armor, but he’s integral to the story. In the lodge, if Sam fails the first Don’t Move, Mike saves Sam and is attacked by Hannah, stomach slashed and tossed into a pillar, breaking his back I guess, which means he’ll die no matter what. If Sam makes the first Don’t Move she can choose to save Mike or run to the switch, if she does nothing, Hannah will notice Mike and will attack him and I think he does no matter what. If she saves him, then Mike can potentially survive. If Sam runs to the switch instead of hiding to allow Mike to escape the lodge (since he’s the last one outside of Sam who sneaks out) then he’ll die in the fire. If Sam is killed by Hannah for failing the Don’t Move segments then Mike will sacrifice himself by blowing up the lodge and the Wendigos inside with his lighter.

Previously played by Brett Dalton, I still find it hilarious they wanted me to believe this man was a teenager but I think he does great. I remembered being like “oh hey!” when I was watching Agents of Shield and he popped up. Mike looked older than Brett himself did at the time lol. But I think he does a good job at being the action hero. In the beginning, corny but he really grows on you as the game goes on and I think Brett does a good job at playing the immaturity of Mike at the beginning and then his growth into a hero.

Top Choice: Asher Angel

Honestly I want to put Asher Angel in everything lol, I really liked him in Shazam! and I hate that he didn’t get more to do in the sequel. I fought really hard about casting him for Mike since I just fancasted him as Luka Couffaine but I feel like Mike would allow him to get way more to do. What he should have been able to do in Shazam 2. Don’t get me started lol. I’m only familiar with him from Shazam so I’m really banking on how much I liked him in those. I think he’d be so good at Mike, he’s very good looking, charismatic, things that Mike needs to be. Immature but with the chance to be the hero, very similar to Billy Batson (at least in how Asher played him) but more outgoing and extroverted compared to Billy. I think he’d have great chemistry with my choice for Jess and I can see people rooting for him as the hero.

Matthew “Matt” Taylor

Matt is described as motivated, ambitious and active, he’s the jock of the group. Jordan Fisher described him as a bit of a “meat head” which I think is clear but in a nice way. Matt is a nice guy, pretty chill and only really gets upset when he feels like he’s protecting Emily or if he saw Emily and Mike hugging and he confronts her about it. He doesn’t get much to do though and we don’t get to know him much and I think them cutting the scene with him and Emily while they’re looking for her bag was a detriment to his character and to their relationship. That really sucks. Matt also comes off as a pushover throughout the game with Emily and while that’s not a bad thing as it’s a character flaw, it just sucks we don’t get to see much outcome from what happens between them. Because depending on what happens between him and Emily, she can be uncaring about his fate during the police interview which really sucks because he’s a good guy and easily the most likable character, besides Sam. If Matt doesn’t find out about Emily and Mike hugging then the fight in the lodge can happen differently on his end and he won’t confront Emily about it which I think also prevents her from realizing he’s not gonna try and help her until she’s honest with him. It’s kind of funny but not because it’s a perilous situation lol. Like, now is not the time Matt but I guess I get it lol. He’s clearly very protective, shown with Emily earlier, even when she pranks him (in the DLC) and he tries to help her and then later shown with Jess in the mines, especially depending on the player’s choices.

The biggest impact he has is helping Emily restore power to the radio tower and calling the rangers. Once this happens, expect to not see Matt for a while unless he’s killed.

His Deaths

Matt is the hardest character to save and I don’t like that lol, he has so many death options. After potentially finding Jessica dead, he’s the next person who has at least 2 possible deaths before anyone else has the opportunity to die, which is insane to me lol. One of his deaths is so hard to prevent that I think people tend to get him killed on accident. I feel like his deaths are cheap and some are out of character for Matt. Let’s go over them lol.

Even though he can’t die until a bit later, he can make choices that make it easier to kill him. When Matt and Emily are on the cliff, they are surrounded by elk, Matt can choose to hit the elk with the ax they found or ignore them. If he hits one, he’ll kill it and the other elk will force him to the edge, if the QTEs are failed, then he’ll fall and smash his head on a rock leaving Emily alone. If he hits the elk, he can survive by hitting all the QTEs, but why would you hit the elk?

The flare gun is a big part of his fate and Emily’s, if Matt agrees with Emily about going to the radio tower, when they find the flare gun, Emily can choose to give it to Matt or keep it, if she gives it to him, he’ll immediately fire it off and no one has it… which causes Emily to get bitten or for Matt to die on the hook if he tries to save Emily 2 times. When the radio tower falls into the mines, Emily is hanging off the railing and Matt can try to save her. When given the option to save Emily or jump to safety, if Matt immediately jumps then Emily will fall (will also hate him for “abandoning her”) but he’ll survive till chapter 10 to find Jess (if she’s alive). If Matt chooses to save Emily both times, he will jump to safety at the last second and Emily will still fall. If this happens and Matt doesn’t have the flare gun (meaning he agreed with Emily about going to the tower) then he’s gonna die by being dragged and impaled on a meat hook and he’ll drown in his own blood. If he has the flare gun (meaning he didn’t agree with Emily and she gave him the flare gun) he can fire it at his attacker. So Matt can survive this outcome only if he has the flare gun but that means Emily will get bitten no matter what.

If he’s still alive, then in the last act, he’ll meet up with Jess in the mines (if she’s still alive) and I think this is also where he acts out of character. We can see, Matt included, that Jess is in bad condition and shouldn’t be by herself so he’ll try to lead her to safety. So when given the option to run ahead or hide, they should hide because Jess can’t run. If the QTE is failed, then they’ll be found by Hannah and both killed, in which Matt will get his face bashed in by HannahWendigo’s fists. If Matt decides to abandon Jess, then he’ll leave her to die (she will) and he has to run out and will have to hit a QTE to close a metal door, if he fails, then he’ll get his face bashed in. If Jess makes it through with Matt, he can choose to break through a boarded up section but if the QTE is failed, then he’ll (they’ll) die. A lot of his deaths will come from failing QTEs in the last act.

But like I said, I think it’s out of character for Matt to abandon Jess so I don’t like that that’s an option but I have seen people pick that in their first playthrough so… there’s that.

Previously played by Jordan Fisher, who I like a lot. I think he does a great job with a lot of Matt’s emotions, sometimes it’s a little over the top but eh it’s okay. I think he’s great at being sweet when it comes to interacting with Emily even if she’s being very hard on him. I feel like out of everyone he could reprise his role due to him being the youngest in the cast but I don’t think he should.

Top Choice: Chosen Jacobs

I’m only familiar with Chosen Jacobs for now because of IT, in which he played Mike Hanlon and I liked him fine in that but oh look another black character with the least amount of screen time, who potentially is the strongest character physically who can offer a lot to the others lol. But I thought Chosen did well with what he was given in IT and I think he would be great as Matt. I think he has a sweetness to him that is necessary for Matt, but also when the situation calls for it, he can be angry and lash out. I think he would do very well in this role, but definitely an expanded one with more development.

Beth & Hannah Washington

Beth is the youngest of the Washington kids, and Hannah’s twin. She is the first person we control in the game, she’s the one who spots Hannah running outside in the snow and immediately goes after her. We aren’t shown much of her and her personality but I think it’s clear that she’s well liked by everyone, that she’s protective and brave. It’s really sad what happens to her.

Hannah is much more shy and perhaps too trusting and very naïve compared to Beth. Her biggest plot point is that she has a near-obsessive crush on Mike, we even see her magazine quiz results in which she took a magazine quiz to see if they’re compatible and I’m pretty sure the results show they aren’t. I think the magazine also says something about being daring or reacting in a way that could garner sympathy… because her running outside in the snow so far from the lodge, without a coat or her phone is insane. So it’s argued that Hannah overreacted to the prank because she was hoping for Mike to come after her. I mean she has every right to be upset/hurt/offended even though you know Mike is dating one of your friends… but girl come on now. But because of all of this, she ends up at the bottom of the mines, somehow missing that rock and ends up trapped down there going hungry. She manages to keep a diary, digs Beth up to eat in order to stay alive and then turns into the biggest Wendigo, her revenge fueled and she terrorizes her friends, killing them if the player so determines.

Their Deaths

As we only see them in prologue before Hannah turns into a Wendigo, they each only have one unavoidable fate. For Beth, they fall off the mountain, really Hannah falls first and pulls Beth with her, Beth is holding on to the ledge and the mysterious flamethrower guy who seems to be after them, reaches for them and Beth has the choice to either drop Hannah (saving herself) or let go, dropping them both at the same time. It doesn’t matter what you do because they fall either way. I do kind of wish that Beth’s death was different depending on the choice… like you choose to let go and they both fall but she doesn’t hit that rock but I mean she still dies, they fell really far but if you choose to let Hannah go, then Beth gets punished by falling and hitting that rock, effectively breaking her back and dying.

As for Hannah, she can’t die until the end when Sam and Mike blow up the lodge. She can kill everyone in the game at some point and two of them she can even get with the same trick (voice in the trap door). She can also kill two people in the same way but different circumstances lol.

Previously played by Ella Lentini and I think she’s fine. We don’t get to see a ton of her, only in the prologue and I wish it was a little longer so we could really see them interact with each other, their friends and Josh. I think she does a great job though when doing their voices when Josh is hallucinating.

Top Choice: Avantika

I’ve only seen Mean Girls so far but I really enjoyed her, she was a standout to me. I knew the twins were gonna be difficult to cast because I wanted whoever I picked to play them, look like they should look similar to whoever I picked for Josh. I think it works lol. But anyway, I think Avantika would do a great job in playing both Hannah and Beth. She would be able to be the more confident and protective Beth and the naïve and less confident Hannah. Also, hopefully the movie would allow us to see more of the group in the lodge before the prank happens so we can see the group dynamics and see the twins’ dynamic with Josh. Yeah, I think it would be fun to see her play to vastly different characters with the same face lol.

Josh Washington

Josh is described as thoughtful, loving and complex and he’s Hannah and Beth’s older brother. He is the epitome of a tortured soul, one that is unable to move on from the deaths of his sisters, and is haunted by the events that took place at the Lodge one year before the main narrative of the game. Josh considers himself a “healer” and he has plans that he hopes will push his friends closer together while also getting back at them for the “fear they caused his sisters” but he thinks his pranks will actually be funny. The interactions we see with him at the beginning with the others are humorous, compassionate and protective of their friendship and the vibe of having a good time. He’s very close with Chris and Sam, who is his best friend since childhood and Sam being Hannah’s best friend was someone Josh seemed to have turned to after the loss of his sisters.

We learn that the Washingtons are rich because Mr. Washington is a film producer and there are a lot of old movie trinkets in the basement, this allows Josh to be very knowledgeable about special effects, movies and movie props, shown as he quotes movies. They own the entire mountain so Josh is able to set everything up for his pranks and it almost spans the entire mountain. Like when did he do this?? I already went into the pranks a bit at the beginning of this post, so I won’t go into it again.

We only learn that Josh is struggling with the disappearance of his sisters if Sam manages to escape the Psycho and finds his “lair” where she’ll find Josh’s phone and we see the messages from Dr. Hill, which would then clue the player into the interlude therapy scenes that you’re playing as Josh and you get to in a lot of ways, shape some gameplay moments. We learn that he’s been diagnosed with depression since he was 11 and the disappearance caused it to go into overdrive, it’s also implied that he fears isolation. Josh definitely blames himself for not being awake (he was passed out drunk) to help them, which is prevalent in his hallucination sequence later. He also has schizophrenia which I’m pretty sure he’s not being treated for that, only depression.

While he may catalyze the horrific events the group must endure, Josh’s story is heartbreaking, and he is without a doubt the most nuanced character to feature in Until Dawn. He also facilitates some of the best and hardest quick time events and decisions. Ones that will see all gamers struggle and grappling with them, even after they’ve made their decision.

His Death/Outcome

Josh gets the least amount of play time, at least directly. You literally only play as him for like 5 minutes max. Sure, he’s the therapy patient but you don’t know that for a while. But after everyone finds out about the prank, and with Mike inciting everyone in thinking that Josh killed Jess, he’s taken to a shed that’s pretty far away from the lodge by Chris and Mike, they witness a mental breakdown from him and depending on your choices as Chris during the pranks, Josh will have some different dialogue in places. But they both end up leaving him, even though Mike said he was gonna stay and keep an eye on him, and he gets taken into the mines by HannahWendigo. It’s hard to say if she recognized him or not at this point because why take him instead of killing him immediately like she does with everyone else. But later, after Mike and Sam find him, Mike tries to lead Josh back through the mines as he’s in no condition to rock climb like Sam, though I doubt even if he was in his right mind, he could rock climb. HannahWendigo will attack Mike and pull him under the water and then attack Josh, she’ll either crush his head like a blueberry or Josh will recognize her and she’ll take him further into the mines again. The only way to “save” Josh from death is for Sam and Mike to find Hannah’s journal while in the mines for them to tell him that the Wendigo is Hannah and Josh recognizes her butterfly tattoo. If he’s taken again, then he’ll end up eating the The Stranger’s head and he turns into the Wendigo set to attack the police searching the mines.

I hate that Josh is such a tragic figure and there’s no way to actually save him, either he dies or turns into a wendigo. But I guess this is something that they shouldn’t change in the movie, if they do change it, he survives, that would be great and he can get the help he actually needs. It’s like he’s the only one who gets punished either way whereas everyone else has the chance to survive. It just really sucks lol. But he’s so nuanced so whoever plays him needs to be able to make sure Josh is both likeable in the beginning, unlikable, tragic and weird. I don’t think they need to keep the whole creeper factor when he’s talkin about the girls’ bodies, it was cringe then and it’ll be cringe now. There are ways to make him be uncomfortable without that aspect. I feel like his character is too nuanced for low-hanging fruit like that.

Previously played Rami Malek, who I love and is the reason why I ended up watching some playthroughs for this game in the first place lol. He’s so good in this role and I think the best actor of the group, it just sucks that we don’t get to see much of Josh as a person.

Top Choice: Tenzing Norgay Trainor

I watched Freeridge for him because I liked his look and I wanted to see his acting. I ended up being sold on him early on in the show. I feel like he would do so well as Josh, someone who is hiding some big secrets that affects his relationships. He had this vulnerability to him in the show that I think would work well for Josh, plus going off of vibes, I can see him making the audience a little uncomfortable as he begins to unravel before our eyes. Plus, the emotional bits he would have to do, I think he would excel in. He’s not physically as big as Josh is in the game, but I think he would make it work with padding and giant clothes which would help showcase that Josh is familiar with movie props and what not. He’d be so good.

So that’s it! I plan to record this once I move and get settled, so be on the lookout for a YouTube video. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comment section!

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