Dawning (FANTASTIC) Reimagines Slasher in a Bleaker and Emptier Fashion

itle: Dawning

First Non-Festival Release: October 3, 2025 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Patrik Syversen

Writer: Patrik Syversen

Runtime: 108 Minutes

Starring: Kathrine Thorborg Johansen, Marte Magnusdotter Solem, Silje Storstein)

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2025.

If someone brutally murders you right this instant, someone across town is probably shopping for chips at a gas station, brushing their teeth, or having a conversation with their friends about the weather. Violence, evil, and calamity exists at any and all times, making it impossible to prepare for while other people’s lives still go on.

When Kristine (Kathrine Thorborg Johansen) is ordered to get fresh air and relaxation after her second suicide attempt, her sisters Esther (Marte Magnusdotter Solem) and Cecilie (Silje Storstein) bring her to their mother’s remote cabin in the woods. Once there, the energy falls into a typical pattern for the sisters. Their peace and quiet is interrupted by a strange man (Thorbjørn Harr) asking for help with his broken-down truck. The three sisters debate whether they should help or watch from afar, not realizing that their once-sought tranquility will be gone forever.

Psuedo-intellectual deconstructed slasher Dawning drags audiences across the finish line of feel-bad cinema.

Starting as a family drama before making a turn as a slasher then leaning into philosophical drama once more, Dawning struggles to tell a compelling story. The sister’s plight takes shape early but the manner in which it manifests is unsurprising. Dawning isn’t concerned with surprising its audience. Instead, it seeks to pummel them with misery. It may not be possible to experience the horror the sisters do, but Dawning wants its violence to be as uncomfortable for the audience as it is for its characters.

Its messaging on the mundanity of violence is done fine enough but feels like it revels in the suffering. Writer/director Patrik Syversen ponders this idea that for any instance of violence that happens, life moves on for everyone around the unlucky victim. Dawning doesn’t quite do this. Sure, the violence is confined to the story at the cabin and the few moments the audience sees outside this provide a few clues for how the women live their lives, but Dawning insists on returning to the scene of the crime time and time again.

There’s even a moment where the story flashes back to a dinner conversation between the sisters and their partners at a get-together. Awkwardly placed, this left turn tries to position Dawning as this deep, brooding psychological horror that is more concerned with men babbling about the universe than the very real problems its characters face.

Chilly black and white cinematography depicting the madness is juxtaposed against pockets of colored flashbacks offering both a reprieve from the violence and insight on what’s happening elsewhere. Used as a way to physically tone down the violence, Dawning uses color as an indicator for the sister’s story. Dull when awash in violence, it bursts into color when exploring outside that moment in time, signifying the ways in which victims view their lives in relation to their deaths. Not only is it useful in terms of timeline but it allows the focus to truly be on the women as they attempt to escape their fates.

The saving grace of Dawning comes in the form of its characters and cast. Hyper realistic violence can only work with vulnerable talent, and Dawning is lucky to have three great talents in its leading women. Kathrine Thorborg Johansen has the most difficult job. The most volatile of the sisters and with the biggest personality, Johansen brings intensity to Kristine. She is combative, easily angered, and hot-headed. It is exactly these sorts of traits that make her character interesting, and Johansen delivers.

Dawning is a divisive, downbeat arthouse horror that will very likely not be for everyone. Well-made but not necessarily well-constructed, the horror of Dawning is more hopeless than affecting. Gritty, and, at times, inscrutable, this Norwegian tale will challenge its audience whether it wants it or not. Arthouse horror lacking bite, Dawning will divide audiences on the basis of endurance.

Overall Score? 4/10