History Fridge / UntilDawn

* A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzFAGFgvwS4&lc=Ugyw3376SfRUsmsfzcl4AaABAg viewer]] notes that [[spoiler:the reason why no doctor was able to help Josh ''is because he was being treated for the wrong problem''. After all, he was suffering from schizophrenia, yet all the prescriptions he got were of ''anti-depressants'', which leaves the main problem, his over-active dopamine unchecked (after all, they only tackled the decrease in serotonin), and it's specially appalling because it's something that anyone who has gone to medicine school should know, so the only explanation is that those doctors, simply didn't care enough to help him when he needed help the most. It explains a lot of his behaviour, since schizophrenia tends to have symptoms like auditory and visual hallucinations (the fact that he sees his dead sisters blaming him for not being there when he was so wasted that he couldn't do a thing), paranoia (he thinks that nobody cares for him, to the point that they would leave him to die even though he was about to be cut in half by a sawblade), social withdrawal (he things that what he does is socially acceptable, like, he even says that it was just a prank, which also, is a nice word choice, because they also thought that what they did to his sisters was just a prank) and disorganized speech (his rambling when he tells them that he was the psycho, it's so incoherent because they are portraying a book case of schizophrenia).]]

** The Washington family appears to have made their money through movies meaning Josh has been around [=SFX=] experts his whole life. Considering that [=SFX=] artists figure out creative ways to pull of elaborate looking effects and still be able to come up with shortcuts to do so, it's possible Josh figured out not only how to create such effects, but also was able to set up a bulk of them within a short time.

** The Washington family appears to have made their money through movies meaning Josh has been around [=SFX=] experts his whole life and the fact

* Ashley's words during the [[spoiler:Chris vs. Ashley trap (should Chris try to sacrifice himself first) is easy to misinterpret. She shouts to him "Let me choose to save you!" if Chris tries to shoot himself first, which many may have assumed as Ashley giving Chris permission to sacrifice her in his place. Should Chris then decide to shoot her afterwards, the event with Ashley not opening the door for Chris still plays out as if Chris had tried to sacrifice Ashley from the beginning, thus making Ashley appear very deceitful and scheming. However, her words are [[ExactWords "Let me choose to save you"]]. It's very possible that she wanted to make the choice and sacrifice herself for Chris' sake, while forgetting that both of her hands were bound to the chair (due to the stress of being in a trap that is about to kill them both). This leaves Chris the only one capable of making the choice to either sacrifice himself or Ashley. But should Chris decide to sacrifice his girlfriend in this instance, Ashley will instead perceive this moment as Chris betraying Ashley's final wishes, and giving into the Killer's demands by choosing the most cowardly way of surviving the trap via sacrifice. It is also worth pointing out that if Chris chooses to do nothing and let the trap kill the two, Ashley does not hold Chris' hesistation against him and will still choose to save Chris later on.]]

* Ashley's words during the [[spoiler:Chris vs. Ashley trap (should Chris try to sacrifice himself first) is easy to misinterpret. She shouts to him "Let me choose to save you!", which many may have assumed as Ashley giving Chris permission to sacrifice her in his place. Should Chris decide to shoot her afterwards, the event with Ashley not opening the door for Chris still plays out as if Chris had tried to sacrifice Ashley from the beginning, thus making Ashley appear very deceitful and scheming. However, her words are [[ExactWords "Let me choose to save you"]]. She wanted to make the choice herself and sacrifice herself for Chris' sake, with this not being possible and Chris being forced to decide. From her point of view, not only is Ashley's wish denied by her crush, but he chose to sacrifice her to save himself. Ashley would have perceived this as a large betrayal by Chris, hence why she is hesitant to open the door for him and leads to him being killed by the Wendigo.]]
** How the hell could she possibly expect to reach that gun? Her hands were bound to that chair.

* Ashley [[spoiler:leaving Chris outside to die, even if she first begged him to shoot her and spare himself]] is one of the more divisive incidents in the game. [[spoiler:Many players regard it as an extreme act of hypocrisy and cruelty]]. Unfortunately, though, it's probably the most realistic possible response to that. [[spoiler:The developers of the game, when asked if it was an oversight, said that it was not, and focused on the experience that Ashley had been through that night]]. While they didn't go into so much detail, [[spoiler:what she's endured in Josh's prank has effectively been a series of mock executions in rapid succession (the term is also applied to a situation where you believe that someone else has been executed). These are some of the most traumatic events that a human being can experience. While Chris is deciding who to kill, what she says is based solely on who he points the gun at first, because she obviously doesn't want to die but also doesn't want to see someone else die in her place again]]. She really just wants all of this to not be happening. [[spoiler:People who have been through similar things in reality will confess to bizarre or even impossible crimes or, if the sham executions are repeated, will sometimes beg their torturers to just do it already]]. Add to this the fact that, while she may mean what she's saying in that moment and would likely [[spoiler:forgive him if given enough time, if Chris turns the gun on her and fires, then he has done something that subjectively causes the same feelings of fear and outright panic that a person experiences right before they actually die. People who that happens to, even if they don't develop PTSD, will often have nightmares for years to come and will sometimes even report doubts that they are still alive]]. She has just an hour or so between this incident [[spoiler:and the decision of whether or not to risk her life to save his, with him yelling that "this thing is right behind me". Her flashback to him pointing the gun on her, followed by her backing away and acting like she barely knows that she's in the room, suggests that this was an instinctual reaction rather than one taken with the intent to commit murder. If that were her goal, she wouldn't have tried to talk him out of going in the first place, and she wouldn't start crying if he dies before reaching the door. She also probably wouldn't stand there staring until someone else snaps her back to reality, because she has no way to know if that thing is going to try to kill her next]]. Realistically, [[spoiler:it's hard to believe that there are very many people who would be ''capable'' of behaving differently under the same set of circumstances]].

* Ashley [[spoiler:leaving Chris outside to die, even if she first begged him to shoot her and spare himself]] is one of the more divisive incidents in the game. [[spoiler:Many players regard it as an extreme act of hypocrisy and cruelty]]. Unfortunately, though, it's probably the most realistic possible response to that. [[spoiler:The developers of the game, when asked if it was an oversight, said that it was not, and focused on the experience that Ashley had been through that night]]. While they didn't go into so much detail, [[spoiler:what she's endured in Josh's prank has effectively been a series of mock executions in rapid succession (the term is also applied to a situation where you believe that someone else has been executed). These are some of the most traumatic events that a human being can experience. While Chris is deciding who to kill, what she says is based solely on who he points the gun at first, because she obviously doesn't want to die but also doesn't want to see someone else die in her place again]]. She really just wants all of this to not be happening. [[spoiler:People who have been through similar things in reality will confess to bizarre or even impossible crimes or, if the sham executions are repeated, will sometimes beg their torturers to just do it already]]. Add to this the fact that, while she may mean what she's saying in that moment and would likely [[spoiler:forgive him if given enough time, if Chris turns the gun on her and fires, then he has done something that subjectively causes the same feelings of fear and outright panic that a person experiences right before they actually die. People who that happens to, even if they don't develop PTSD, will often have nightmares for years to come and will sometimes even report doubts that they are still alive]]. She has just an hour or so between this incident [[spoiler:and the decision of whether or not to risk her life to save his, with him yelling that "this thing is right behind me". Her flashback to him pointing the gun on her, followed by her backing away and acting she barely knows that she's in the room, suggests that this was an instinctual reaction rather than one taken with the intent to commit murder]]. Realistically, [[spoiler:it's hard to believe that there are very many people who would be ''capable'' of behaving differently under the same set of circumstances]].

** It also seems like [[spoiler:Hannah ''might have'' intended this fate for two of her victims. The circumstances are fairly telling, since the only two people she attempts to take alive are Jess and Josh]]. The first of those two [[spoiler:was also the first member of the group who she attacked]], and the second [[spoiler:was chained up in a shed]]. While they seem to be [[spoiler:superhumanly strong and fast, the behavior of the wendigos makes it pretty clear that they're ambush predators, which is its own kind of Fridge Brilliance. Ambush hunting is a common tactic for animals that hunt species capable of outrunning them over a longer distance, and (as lazy and weak as we might seem compared to deer or impalas) humans definitely fall into that category]]. When Mike [[spoiler:is in danger of catching up to her, which isn't something he could do if she were able to maintain that speed indefinitely, she'll drop Jess as a distraction. Without taking time to kill her, if he's fast enough]]. She clearly ''does not'' want anyone [[spoiler:to follow her to her "nest", or to gain ground on her when she's exhausted, which would explain why she's content with taking and storing corpses after that point, at least for the most part. They may not last as long as a live human, even in the cold tunnels of the mine, but she knows that there are multiple people who might be willing to pursue her for a live victim, and that no one will chase her to retrieve a corpse]]. The only exception is [[spoiler:Josh, who she also took alive. Since he was tied up in a shed, she probably assumed (wrongly) that no one would come to save him. At the next opportunity, she will simply crush his skull, provided he doesn't reveal his identity and dredge up memories of the life they once had together]].

* Anyone who [[spoiler:dies before Chapter 10 (besides Emily being shot) has their body strung up in the chamber where Sam and Mike find Josh]]. Although damaged and mutilated, [[spoiler:''none'' have been eaten. Even Beth's head, which has been in the lair for over ten months, is still relatively intact]]. Evidently, [[spoiler:the Hannah Wendigo treats the bodies of her victims like trophies instead of food. She seems to favor decapitation as a preferred method of killing (The Stranger/Chris/Ashley) and will even sever the head off a corpse after her victim is dead (Jess/Matt). Given how this seems to have started even as early as collecting Beth's head, Hannah might collect her prey as a way of keeping her friends near in some strange twisted way, fitting with how she doesn't kill Josh if he recognizes her and how she doesn't behead Emily, whom she'd have the most reason to despise.]] It would certainly fit her [[spoiler:black butterfly motif.]]

* Sam begins with equally close relationship stats among all of the friends besides Jessica and Mike, who start off a little lower. Sam was Hannah's best friend and Jessica and Mike played the biggest roles in the prank on her, so Sam would likely hold some bitter feelings against them. Her relationship with Jessica drops further if Jessica explains that she and Mike, the two people Sam has most reason to resent for Hannah and Beth's disappearances, are actually ''together'' now (especially considering how Sam was most likely aware of Hannah's feelings for Mike and how Jessica exploited it for the prank). While Sam is trying to move on and forgive everyone, she would naturally find it hardest with these two.

** Also on the subject of Emily, her anger at Ashley on the basis of how she nearly leads to Emily's death because of the wendigo bite is foreshadowed early on - when the others find her and Matt, one of the first things she says is that she doesn't want to make hasty decisions that get people killed. When Ashley sees the bite, she hastily assumes that Emily is infected and needs to be removed from the group, only for the group to learn moments later that the bite itself is harmless.

* The WithFriendsLikeThese examples in the Prologue: Jessica, Mike, Emily, Matt, and Ashley viciously humiliating their friend Hannah, and Hannah trying to hook up with Mike when he's already in a relationship with her friend Emily. We see Chris and Josh passed out drank, and Beth comments on her brother "outdoing us all." While it wouldn't excuse anyone's behavior, Jessica, Mike, Emily, Hannah, Matt, and Ashley were most likely also drinking that night, acting under the influence and not thinking through the consequences of their actions. Sam and Beth seem like the most responsible ones of the group, and may drank less (or not at all).

* Ashley has the option to stab the Psycho in the shoulder at one point in self-defense. The Psycho [[spoiler:is later revealed to be Josh]]. [[spoiler:Josh]] is lucky that Ashley went for the shoulder and not the throat or [[EyeScream eye]] instead, as a character like Mike, Sam, or Emily might if put in the same situation; [[spoiler:Josh's prank could have gotten him killed or at least seriously wounded, and Ashley would've been racked with guilt]].

* Samson was a biblical warrior who destroyed a building in order to kill his enemies. [[spoiler:What can ''Sam'' do in the final moments of the game?]]

* Sam begins with equally close relationship stats among all of the friends besides Jessica and Mike, who start off a little lower. Sam was Hannah's best friend, and Jessica and Mike played the biggest roles in the prank on her, so Sam would likely hold some bitter feelings against them. Her relationship with Jessica drops further if Jessica explains that she and Mike, the two people Sam has most reason to resent for Hannah and Beth's disappearances, are actually ''together'' now (especially considering how Sam was most likely aware of Hannah's feelings for Mike and how Jessica exploited it for the prank). While Sam is trying to move on and forgive everyone, she would naturally find it hardest with these two.

** Also on the subject of Emily, her anger at Ashley on the basis of how she nearly leads to Emily's death because of the wendigo bite is foreshadowed early on - when the others find her and Matt, one of the first things she says is that she doesn't want to make hasty decisions that get people killed. And when Ashley sees the bite, what does she immediately jump to assuming? That Emily is infected and needs to be removed from the group - despite how, as the group learns just moments after that decision point, the bite itself being harmless.

* Dr. Hill's line in the first session - "You see no one can change what happened last year. The past is beyond our control." On the surface this is his attempt to comfort [[spoiler:Josh]], but on a meta level he is explaining the game (in particular, the introduction) - [[spoiler:Beth and Hannah]] always die regardless of player choice. Dr. Hill tells the player that from now on ''your choices will actually matter''. The game saves immediately after every choice, meaning that you cannot revert to previous save files and the past truly ''is'' beyond your control!

* When [[spoiler:you find out that Josh is the Psycho, remembering the scene where he taunts Sam in the video room becomes a kind of sad brilliance. He asks her, when he shows her the tape of herself in the bathroom, if those were the last happy moments of her life. Later, Ashley and Chris can find a videotape of Hannah during the prank (i.e. the last moments she was happy, thinking Mike was showing interest in her for the first time). Josh did the same thing, but with Sam.]]

* Playing off the characters being Horror Movie Tropes, check out a website that reveals the most popular names. In 1994 (the first year in the window that all of the cast was born in), all of the main casts' names appear as the top four girls' and boys' names respectively (and even paired up accordingly via present time couples and ShipTeasing: Michael and Jessica were first of the male and female names respectively, then Christopher and Ashley, followed by Matthew and Emily, and lastly Joshua and Samantha. They're all named the most common/generic names of the year they would have been born in.

* When [[spoiler:you find out that Josh is the Psycho, remembering the scene where he taunts Sam in the video room becomes a kind of sad brilliance. He asks her, when he shows her the tape of herself in the bathroom, if those were the last happy moments of her life. Later, Ashley and Chris can a find videotape of Hannah during the prank (i.e. the last moments she was happy, thinking Mike was showing interest in her for the first time). Josh did the same thing, but with Sam.]]

* Dr. Hill's line in the first session - "You see no one can change what happened last year. The past is beyond our control." On the surface this is his attempt to comfort [[spoiler:Josh]], but on a meta level he is explaining the game (in particular, the introduction) - [[spoiler:Beth and Hannah]] always die regardless of player choice. Dr. Hill's tells the player that from now on ''your choices will actually matter''. The game saves immediately after every choice, meaning that you cannot revert to previous save files and the past truly ''is'' beyond your control!

* Since famine has all but disappeared in Canada and the United States, (save for in aboriginal communities, which is another Fridge Horror), the benefits and temptation to indulge in cannibalism have likewise all but vanished. The Wendigos probably go for years if not decades without any viable hosts to infest. But what do predators do when prey is scarce? ''They expand their territory'', preferably into regions with abundant prey. The Wendigos in the game seem content to remain on that one mountain, but as that region will likely be abandoned after the events of the game, with not even the Stranger to keep them locked up, there's nothing to say some of them won't migrate somewhere else, if it's possible for them to. Like, say, a densely populated city...
* It's worth noting that Wendigos are featured in the folklore of tribes spread across the entire northern continent; they were not an isolated local legend, but served as NightmareFuel for entire cultures. That means one of two things; either the Wendigos were all somehow concentrated and contained at Blackwood, or [[FridgeHorror there are many, many more places infested with the damn things.]]
* So after [[spoiler:the Stranger gets killed]], Mike is adamant about finding Josh to get the cable car key back so they can all escape. But given how easily a wendigo is able to cut the cable holding up the fire tower, it's very likely that if Mike had succeeded, it would have resulted in the wendigos sending them plummeting to their deaths.
* Matt was filming the prank on Hannah. [[spoiler:Later, we find out that Josh was taping the game's events and was planning on uploading them online]]. If [[spoiler:Josh's prank is meant to parallel the one pulled on Hannah to some degree,]] it means that Hannah's so-called friends might have been planning to upload the video of her taking her top off online. Filming it at all is bad enough, of course, but that would be a pretty cruel "joke".
* Chris's throwaway line to Jess right at the start of the game about eating his own leg if he got stuck in the cable car takes on a horrible new light once you've finished the game. [[spoiler:Any human flesh can turn you into a wendigo, even your own.]]
* A small example, but on Jessica's profile, it mentions that she wants to be a model, and if Mike makes the wrong choices in the game, she can reveal that she is actually really insecure. Should she survive the events of the game, she is the most physically scarred of the survivors, with deep scars on her face and chest.
* Being [[spoiler: caught and butchered by a Wendigo]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath is a nasty way to die]], but actually [[spoiler: transforming into one]] [[FateWorseThanDeath could be a great deal worse.]] At best, [[spoiler: the infection outright kills the host and the spirit takes over]]. Yet while it is never outright stated, there are subtle implications that their [[spoiler: hosts are still alive, [[AndIMustScream trapped within a body they have no control over]], maybe even [[YourSoulIsMine merging with the Wendigo's spirit over time]], [[TheAssimilator losing their individuality in the process]].]] As Hannah's [[spoiler: old personality]] could be influencing [[spoiler: the Wendigo she became]] (as speculated above), the latter possibility is all too real.
* Ashley has the option to stab the Psycho in the shoulder at one point in self-defense. The Psycho [[spoiler:is later revealed to be Josh]]. It becomes Fridge Horror when one considers what could have happened if Ashley had tried to put the Psycho down for good, say stabbing him with the scissors in the throat or [[EyeScream eye]] instead, as a character like Mike, Sam, or Emily might if put in the same situation; [[spoiler:Josh's prank could have gotten him killed or at least seriously wounded, and Ashley would've been racked with guilt]].

* Sam begins with equally close relationship stats among all of the friends beside Jessica and Mike, who start off a little lower. Sam was Hannah's best friend, and Jessica and Mike played the biggest roles in the prank on her, so Sam would likely hold some bitter feelings against them. Her relationship with Jessica drops further if Jessica explains that she and Mike, the two people Sam has most reason to resent for Hannah and Beth's disappearances, are actually ''together'' now (especially considering how Sam was most likely aware of Hannah's feelings for Mike and how Jessica exploited it for the prank). While Sam is trying to move on and forgive everyone, she would naturally find it hardest with these two.

* Why does Emily act so unbearably? As Dr. Hill points out if you choose her as your most disliked protagonist, Emily's bitchy behaviour is most likely her attempt to cover up her insecurities. Look at her situation: she's back in the place where Hannah and Beth died (which is largely her fault, having been a supporter of the prank), on the anniversary of their disappearance, and is surrounded by everyone who was involved plus their brother, his best friend and Hannah's best friend. And to top it off, she's dealing with her former best friend (who stole her boyfriend). Not surprising that she'd be feeling more insecure than normal.