For the last nearly seven years, groups of four people at a time have been terrorized by an entity that employs different killers to do its bidding. The killer must attempt to capture the members of the group and sacrifice them to the Entity in order to steal a piece of their souls and their hope. The only chance for these individuals to escape is to activate generators that will power the gates out of this mysterious location, that may be their final resting place. This scenario has been played out millions of times by players around the globe in the game, “Dead by Daylight.”
And now it’s becoming a film! Behaviour Interactive, the developers behind the game, are teaming up with Atomic Monster and Blumhouse to create the big screen adaptation.
We’ve had a lot to report on about Blumhouse productions recently. Jason Blum‘s production company is set to merge with James Wan‘s Atomic Monster to create what could be the biggest name in horror. Blumhouse is also creating their own video game division that would partner with independent developers to bring horror-themed games to life. On top of all that, Blumhouse is also bringing video game series “Five Night’s at Freddy’s” to the big screen as well. Is it any wonder then that they’ll also be producing a “Dead by Daylight“ adaptation as well?
Part of the appeal of “Dead by Daylight” is its use of horror themed characters from film, television, and other video games. Different survivors and killers have been culled from horror classics like “Halloween,” “Saw,” “Stranger Things,” “Silent Hill,” “Resident Evil,” and more. Granted the title also has its own assortment of original characters, but it would be interesting to see if they’d be able to work out some kind of a licensing deal to throw some of those icons into this film. One could hope at least.
“Dead by Daylight” is more limited in scope with its story when compared to other video game adaptations which actually might help it succeed for Blumhouse. Sometimes when translating a game to film, adhering too strictly to the game can result in a messy story, while straying too far can lend to criticism that it’s not enough like the game. But with something like this, there’s ample room to play around with and make something in the spirit of the title that actually tells its own coherent tale.
Details are scarce, but an official website was launched for the project. “Dead By Daylight” the film was announced on March 2nd, 2023. Right now there’s no script or casting news, but that’s to be expected since the project was literally just revealed. Probably to get the hype train rolling.
