Dead Before Dawn

Four college friends tease fate when a late night experiment on campus a lab hobby goes wrong and taps into an age old curse. The mishap sends a ripple through their town, turning ordinary people into destructive, undead fiends called Zemons. As dread spreads, the group, led by Casper Galloway, pairs up with his misfit friends Charlotte Baker and the tech savvy student Dazzle Darlington to hunt down the source and hit pause on the catastrophe. Their search draws in Horus Galloway, a quirky elder with a cryptic family history, and Lucy Winthrop, who brings street level grit to the plan. The film balances slapstick chaos with sudden shocks, keeping the stakes tight while the town scrambles to stay alive.

Directed by April Mullen, the film is a Canadian horror comedy built on a concept by Tim Doiron. It follows a jittery campus crew as they confront a playful yet dangerous supernatural curse, with Devon Bostick and Martha MacIsaac leading the cast alongside Christopher Lloyd.

Box office data for Dead Before Dawn was modest and did not headline wide release. It circulated on limited screens and festival circuits, finding a small audience among genre fans who discover it through streaming and specialty events.

Among viewers, Dead Before Dawn has a niche following as a cheeky entry in the Canadian horror comedy scene. The Zemons concept and the mix of humor with gore have sparked discussions in fan groups, festival retrospectives, and streaming lists of offbeat genre titles.

Reception has been mixed yet affectionate, with critics noting the film's brisk pace and clear affection for its sources. The story leans on friendship and responsibility under pressure, while satirizing campus pranks and horror tropes. The balance of laughs and shocks aims for late night energy rather than polished polish, reflecting the filmmakers' playful approach to genre blending.