The following contains spoilers for Until Dawn, now playing in theatersUntil Dawn makes some pretty big changes from the original game in of how the Wendigo works. The 2025 film adaptation of the 2015 game takes a lot of liberties with the concept, reimagining the premise as less of a throwback horror story and more as a meta-love letter to the genre as a whole. One of the biggest shared elements between both versions of the presence of the Wendigo as a central monster, vicious creatures that were once regular people before they lost their humanity.

However, the game and the film approach the Wendigo very differently. This includes the source of the curse, how it spreads to victims, and the supernatural force that seems to be dictating it. Even though the creature itself is presented in a very different way from how it is in real-life folklore, it does serve a similar thematic purpose in Until Dawn incorporated the Wendigo, their biggest differences, and how they compare to the original folklore.

The Until Dawn Movie Creates Wendigos Through Fear

People Can Become The Wendigo If They Don't Escape The Death Timeloop In Until Dawn

2025's Until Dawn includes Wendigos, which were the prime monster of the video game that inspired it — but the film makes a pretty big change to the lore of the supernatural creature. In Until Dawn, the monsters and killers that Clover's group encounters turn out to all be people who were also trapped in the loop of death and rebirth. However, those people failed to escape the loop within thirteen cycles, which steadily transformed them into monsters. As Dr. Hill eventually explains to Clover, the change steadily erodes their humanity through their fear, pain, and trauma.

By their thirteenth resurrection, the person is gone. All that is left is the Wendigo, a ferocious and cannibalistic monster that just wants to kill anything around it. This is the fate that befell Clover's sister Mel, who was trapped in the loop before them but wasn't able to escape with her humanity intact. This transformation is a major focus of Hill's research, with some of his studies even focusing on the effects of the transformation on some victims. It plays into the film's exploration of horror, revealing that giving into fear is the source of the Wendigo curse.

The Until Dawn Game Made Cannibals The Wendigo

The Wendigo Of The Until Dawn Game Are Far More Overtly Supernatural

That's not necessarily the case in Until Dawn video game, however. Although the ending of Until Dawn suggests the game and the film share a universe, the curse is transferred in Until Dawn in a different manner. In the game universe, as established by Until Dawn and the prequel game The Inpatient, the Wendigos are connected to a mysterious supernatural curse that has nothing to do with rebirth or time loops. The Makkapitew stalks the forest and slaughters people it encounters. The curse spreads to people who become lost and, in their desperation, resort to cannibalism.

One of the primary threats of the Until Dawn game is the Wendigo that is eventually revealed to have been Hannah. Josh's sister and a member of the extended friend group at the center of the game, Hannah gained the curse when she was trapped in the mines underneath the mountain and was forced to eat the body of her sister Beth to survive. The implication, as suggested by the Hunter that players encounter during the game, is that the Makkapitew has cursed the mountain and that anyone who eats human flesh will transform into a state similar to Hannah.

How Do Both Versions Of Until Dawn Compare To Real Mythology?

The Video Game Wendigo Is More Accurate

The Wendigo is a creature with ties to real-life folklore, giving both versions of Until Dawn a direct connection to classic horror imagery and archetypes. Originating in Algonquian folklore, the Wendigo is typically portrayed as a malevolent spirit that can take over people if they are lost in the woods or separated from their tribes. Victims are transformed into cannibals and can be transformed into a gaunt, desiccated humanoid creature that preys on any people who are unlucky enough to cross its path.

The Until Dawn game has a more accurate representation of the Wendigo as it is typically portrayed in the original folklore, with the curse being directly connected to a supernatural force that is identified as the Makkapitew. The film treats the Wendigos more as examples of the curse that Clover and her friends end up trapped within, one of the many monstrous forms that could evolve into if they don't escape the loop. One of the lingering questions raised by both stories seemingly existing in the same universe is how these two versions of the creature could be connected.

The Real Meaning Behind The Wendigo In Until Dawn

The Wendigo Are A Worst-Case Fear Realized

The Wendigo is one of the more iconic visual elements of Until Dawn, as the creature serves as the primary physical threat in both the game and the film. Although they are very similar, the film focuses on the loss of identity from the transformation more than on the creature itself. This is reflected in the design of the monsters, which are notably different. In the film, the Wendigo still have some resemblance to their human forms, with some even still wearing scraps of clothing they had on at the time of their corruption.

The Wendigo of the game are more supernatural, hulking, and fearsome creatures that resemble a wolf more than a person. This difference also extends to how the Wendigo is used thematically. In both stories, a sister of one of the main characters is transformed into a Wendigo, a loss that motivates one of the main characters. This serves as a warning to the other characters about what could become of them if the situation takes a turn for the worse, and it gives a tragic edge to every encounter with the creatures.

It's an interesting expansion of the lore from Until Dawn that could be further explored in a hypothetical sequel to the film.

Josh's arc in Until Dawn is particularly tragic, especially when compared to Clover's storyline in the movie. Although Clover acknowledges and accepts that her sister is gone before putting her Wendigo self out of her misery, Josh is dragged into the depths by the creature, and in the game's best ending, becomes a Wendigo himself by eating the Hunter. In both versions of the story, the Wendigo is a worst-case scenario, showcasing how gruesome the heroes could become if they don't escape their predicament.

Since the film removes the potential of being trapped and forced to resort to cannibalism, it makes sense that the film would tweak the rules to ensure that the potential to become one remains an aspect of the film. However, it is one of the changes from the game that is begging for further exploration, given the suggestion that Dr. Hill and his research into fear is supernatural in some way. It's an interesting expansion of the lore from Until Dawn that could be further explored in a hypothetical sequel to the film.