Dead Until Dawn
| Dead Until Dawn | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | Saint Pharaoh |
| Produced by |
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| Release date(s) | 24 October, 2024 |
| Running time | 71 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Box office | $791,844 |
Dead Until Dawn is a 2024 Sierran musical horror film written, executive produced, and directed by Amadi Makkonen, more widely known as rapper Saint Pharaoh. The film is Makkonen's directorial debut, and is a visual companion to the 2024 album Resurrection, containing a number of music videos as well as concert footage of the songs from the album performed at the Giza Necropolis in Egypt. It is produced by Mirror Life Pictures, a subsidiary of Nickelodeon Theaters.
On 11 April, 2024, Makkonen announced the title of the film at the end of his performance at NXNW Houston 2024. A week later, on 18 April, Makkonen announced the film on his social media and released a trailer and poster of the movie, with all attendees to the film being given a free promotional T-shirt. Stills and screenshots would be posted over the summer period to build anticipation.
It was released in select NICK and GWP Theaters across North America on 24 October, 2024, one day before the release of Resurrection. It was later released on Webbox on 8 November, 2024, with the music videos for "On Road", "Can't Hear", "Psycho, Famous", and "Burn Up"–which had been included in the film–being released over a five day period from 20 November to 24 November, with the final performance at the Giza Necropolis being posted on 25 November alongside the entirety of the film.
Synopsis
In a post-nuclear war Brazoria of 2097, Saint Pharaoh awakens in a cryogenic pod after a timeclock mechanism ends. Searching around the room, he is able to exit the vault into the surface.
"On Road"
Saint Pharaoh is seen walking around the northern deserts of the Chihuahuan, however, a group of bandits begin chasing after him. After being subdued, he is put in a forced-march with other survivors into the mountains of Mohave over the next weeks, where he is finally offered as tribute to the King of the Mountain, revealed to be rapper Pluto. This section was directed by Pharaoh himself, and serves as a music video for "On Road".
"Can't Hear"
This segment is directed by Finlay Hubbard, and serves as the music video for "Can't Hear". Saint Pharaoh raps the song as a plea for his life to the King, with him later escaping into the night after instigating a fire within the cavern.
"Psycho, Famous"
Running into the desert, Saint Pharaoh reaches out to a group in the distance for help before realizing they are demons, in the shape of bears with wings mimicking those of bats, leading to another chase into a nearby village. Finding an abandoned house, he stumbles upon a dirt bike and rides it into the sunrise as the daylight repels the demon horde. This segment is directed by Jo Wong, and serves as the music video for "Can't Hear".
"Burn Up"
Arriving into a city, Saint Pharaoh finds other survivors barricaded inside a Shirley's, with him able to join them after doing a hand gesture, with the crew grabbing weapons and slaying the demons alongside rapper Tweek and producer Iron Keys. This segment is directed by Sylas Maynard, and serves as the music video for "Burn Up".
"Club"
After being overwhelmed, Saint Pharaoh and the group are forced to escape into a tunnel system underneath the store in the sewers. After walking for a long distance, they arrive at an exit to the surface at night time outside Saint Anthony, where they are discovered by government agents patrolling the area who rescue the group. As they ride in a helicopter away, the group witnesses a meteor shower and the ruins of civilization, while Pharaoh hides a bite-mark he received from one of the demons. This segment is directed by Ryan Walker and Saint Pharaoh, and serves as the music video for "Club", and is noticeably in black-and-white.
Giza performance
This segment is directed by Aubrey Holland, and consists of concert footage of Pharaoh performing outside the Giza Necropolis in Egypt.
Set list:
- "Psycho, Famous"
- "Burn Up"
- "Geeked Up" (performed alongside Tweek)
- "Blood In The Water"
- "Club"
- "Dirty Rain" (performed alongside Pluto)
- "What You Want" (performed alongside Pluto)
- "2 Many"
- "New Age" (performed alongside Trevon Rage)
- "Ride Or Die" (performed alongside Danni Playboy, Rich Tunechi and Splash Godd)
- "Flashing Lights" (performed alongside James Igor)
- "Last Laugh" (performed alongside Trevon Rage)