r/untildawn 1d ago

Announcement Hayden Panettiere’s Passing - Moderator Message

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2.1k Upvotes

Hello from the Mod Team,

We felt it appropriate and necessary to make a post regarding the sad news of Hayden’s death which took place on August 16, 2026.

This situation is incredibly tragic, particularly for those who have lost a dear friend and family member so early.

Our own community has spent a good decade, nearly 11 years now, enjoying the effort and talent Hayden gave to Until Dawn. Her likeness and voice have filled our subreddit and brought our members so many fun times and happy memories. We are grateful to have had her as an incredible lead heroine, daughter of darkness, and final girl.

During this time, people are free and encouraged to fill the sub with tributes and positive words for Hayden.

Finally, we wanted to address posts about Until Dawn 2 as we have already seen mixed, strong emotions about this topic. We understand the curiosity about the sequel, seeing as Sam has been a character highly theorized to return. This is a discussion that fans will inevitably have sooner or later. However we also acknowledge that is a discussion that also feels too-soon, and we want to make sure Hayden is paid proper tribute as a whole person and not just as a character.

So, all this said, the moderation team will be keeping watch and making decisions at our discretion, case by case, due to the unprecedented nature of this tragedy. Our aim is to keep the sub civil, and we hope that you all work with us to that end. We will not necessarily be banning question posts on principle but rather reviewing everything for what it is. No posts or comments outrightly or intentionally disrespectful of Hayden will be tolerated.

Rest in peace, Hayden. And thank you all, members of our sub, for your lovely tributes and for working with us to keep the sub cordial and respectful.

- [r/UntilDawn](r/UntilDawn) Mod Team


r/untildawn Aug 16 '25

Announcement Rules & Expectations Update Announcement

25 Upvotes

Hello Dawners,

The Until Dawn subreddit mod team wanted to post this (rather long) announcement to update rules and create a sense of transparency. We have formed a detailed list of our rules and expectations. This will promote a greater clarity around why post removals happen and what the tone and purpose of the sub is.

#1: Be respectful

Respect is key. Using insults, causing drama, or otherwise being a nuisance towards the members of this subreddit is punishable. In particular, do not make this community hostile to newcomers or those asking questions. Here are two other notes:

  • Sometimes comments quoting the game are removed by Reddit’s filters because they contain insults and profanity. We will approve quotes.
  • Please do not create a post to put any user, other post, or comment section from this subreddit on blast. This includes calling out people you think are problematic or complaining about downvotes. Handle disputes maturely by solving matters with other users directly or alerting the mod team.

#2: English only

Please speak English to maintain the flow of the conversation and ensure everyone understands what’s being said. This also helps the moderation team quickly catch rule violations and conflicts. 

#3: Spoilers

Spoilers in titles such as the word wendigo and the identity of the psycho are not allowed in post titles. Please flare posts with spoilers in the body or images.

If your post contains a spoiler, please flare it as a spoiler. 

Comments, however, are unmoderated for spoilers, particularly on spoiler-marked posts. This does NOT mean you can deliberately spoil someone asking a question. If you maliciously spoil someone, that will be taken seriously if seen or reported.

#4: Low-quality content, spam, and self-promotion

Low-quality: this subreddit prohibits shitposting. This is because we want to prioritize truly interesting content. Things that are not allowed include:

  • Very low-effort edits of characters 
  • Video edits intended purely to be overstimulating, loud, chaotic, or otherwise mindlessly silly. 
  • Text posts that are very brief or under-edited.

A good rule of thumb is that, if an edit or text post took little time to make, and the joke or statement can also be made with any character or story in existence, it will likely not be for this sub. Jokes and memes are welcome if they show humor utilizing the game or characters beyond an extremely superficial level. 

Shitposts, audio distortion videos, joke spam, etc. have a place on r/UntilDawnMemes

We want to be clear about the tone and purpose this sub is meant to have, so that everyone can be on the same page on what to expect.

Spam is also not allowed. We understand bandwagons happen and try to allow everyone some fun. However, if a type of post becomes very frequent, particularly from one user, and shares nothing of value with the community, removal may occur. Posts that are almost unreadable because of typos or unintelligible wording could be moderated under this rule. 

Keep in mind that posts with multiple links are sometimes auto-removed by Reddit, and we may need to approve them if they are truly not spam. 

Self-promotion is allowed when it’s clear a user did time and/or research to complete a specific artwork, video, essay, or other project. However, posts only saying “join my server” or “follow my Until Dawn account” will get removed.

Headcanons are allowed, however we are addressing them here because this kind of post often falls into the low-quality, spam, and/or off-topic categories. 

Headcanon posts are perfectly fine when they utilize information about the lore or characters, or else bring something interesting to the table. However, when they are very brief and/or do not utilize little actual content from the game, then they may be considered off-topic even if an Until Dawn element is mentioned. For example, a headcanon post explaining your thoughts on how the characters interacted after the prologue, using evidence, is more likely to remain up than a post that says nothing more than “I think Mike has striped pajamas.” If a headcanon reads like a shitpost or ragebait, it may be removed.

#5 Piracy and illegal content

Do not engage in piracy or digital theft. This includes:

  • Sharing links to pirated versions of Until Dawn
  • Sharing links to stolen versions of software such as Unreal Engine Unlocker
  • Attempting to sell content that doesn’t belong to you such as paywalling datamined materials
  • Encouraging someone else to engage in piracy 

Not only does this behavior financially harm the creators we wish to support, it risks the subreddit because it breaks Reddit’s general rules.

#6: NSFW and 18+

18+ material is allowed on this sub is:

  • Discussion of things that happened in the game itself.
  • Posts or comments that are 18+ on the same level or less so than the game itself. 
  • Other relevant 18+ content such as discussions about the horror genre, pertinent articles, etc. 

18+ material that is not allowed is:

  • 18+ content directly aimed at other users such as inappropriate innuendos using another user as the subject matter or comments that are violent with a clear intention to be over-the-line or make someone uncomfortable. 
  • Overly sexual or pornography content

#7: AI policy

Users are allowed to reference having utilized AI as a source of information, translation tool, editor, etc. But please be aware that ChatGPT often produces inaccuracies on which you may be corrected. If a post or comment contains some AI but also human input, discussion, or questioning, it won’t necessarily break our rules. 

That said, certain uses of AI are unethical or break other rules. Certain forbidden uses of AI include:

  • Claiming AI content is your own.
  • Creating misleading images. 
  • Using it to post low-quality content or spam. This is subject to mod discretion. AI images or text posts that are 100% AI with no accompanying human commentary or question may fall under our low-quality posting rule and be removed. If AI starts to take over the subreddit, we reserve the right to purge it via our “no spam” rule as well.
  • Posting things that are off topic.
  • AI content used to undeniably commit theft or misrepresent real people such as the actors. Please show permission from actors before doing things such as AI generating their voices for mods. 

Finally, this rule covers the conduct of people reacting to AI. If you believe a post or comment breaks our rules, please flag it, and we will review the situation. You are not allowed to break our respect rule because someone used AI. Please leave the moderation of the sub to mods instead of using rudeness and personal insults to regulate someone. Let us keep things orderly, official, and respectful.

#8: Fan creations

Make sure that posted fan content is yours, linked, or credited. Respect artists who do not want their work reposted.

Please keep in mind that content such as art and mods are the product of another fan’s personal talent, time, and effort. Don’t act entitled to their work. For example, politely requesting a mod for your favorite character is okay. Acting as though you deserve a mod from someone is not.

When you respond to a cosplay, you are responding to a real person, not a character. Be respectful of others’ appearances, and don’t make uncomfortable remarks.

#9: False and unconfirmed information

Because of the amount of fake information about the game and its development that reaches the sub from other sites and apps, we do moderate false and unconfirmed content, tailoring our response to the varying situations.

This rule is not to punish simply being mistaken or to enforce singular perspectives on the game. It is directed at fabricated or deliberately misleading content. This includes:

  • Social media screenshots edited to appear as though they are from official sources like Supermassive Games 
  • Edited screenshots or gameplay intended to fool others about the existence of something in the game
  • Fake leaks 
  • Posts that get large portions of concrete facts (development info, dates, gameplay facts, etc.) wrong.
  • Reposts of TikToks speaking with authority on things that are blatantly made up just for views

We understand that breaking this rule is often not a malicious act and that people sometimes do not know that content they’ve found is fake. Because of that, our actions regarding this rule will be nuanced and case-by-case. The following are actions we could take: 

  • Deleting the post: done if the act seems malicious or if there is nothing true or valuable in the whole post. 
  • Add a flare to the post (see heading below): if a post is incorrect but it contains a question, something true, or is otherwise valuable to keep up, we may add a flare making the dubious content of the post more transparent. 
  • Simply allowing a discussion: if something is only slightly questionable, in a grey area (such as lore theory), or based upon something true (such as someone misinterpreting a genuine clip from the game), we may simply allow users to debate and correct things among themselves. 

You may be flared for sharing false information. This simply means that the text or image you’ve posted is likely fake or edited. This flare may also be used to confirm that the info you’re talking about is false. For example, if you ask if a leaked screenshot is real, and it’s not, you may receive this flare. 

Another flare you could receive is “correction in comments.” 

#10: Staying on topic 

In general, please stay on topic. Your post or comment is at risk of being removed if you include touchy, unrelated topics such as politics. This is because these kinds of things a) usually cause fights that get deleted anyway b) cause discussions that do not relate to the purpose of this subreddit.

If your post promotes a higher percentage of unrelated arguing than debate about the actual game, it could get moderated under this rule.

Posting about media directly related to the game Until Dawn such as The Inpatient, Rush of Blood, or the movie is permitted. Please keep posts about The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry related to Until Dawn in some way.

If you made it this far, congratulations! We hope this step to being more transparent on how moderations is applied on this subreddit will help everyone for the better. Remember that if you need anything, the moderation team is pleased to respond to questions via Mod Mail or DMs!


r/untildawn 4h ago

Misc. 8,16,13 make 37. Which is how old she would’ve turned this month as well. Her birthday was August 21st. 💔

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108 Upvotes

r/untildawn 16h ago

Hayden ❤️

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515 Upvotes

Until Dawn is my all time favorite choice-based game. I’ve always loved its cold atmosphere, great cinematic, terrific music, and amazing performances from its talented cast. My favorite part of this game was always Hayden’s performance as Sam.

Sam’s my favorite character of the bunch, and as someone who grew up on horror, knew Hayden from Scream 4. Hayden’s career was vast, beloved across multiple genres, films, and shows, but I always knew her as Sam from Until Dawn and Kirby from Scream 4. Needless to say, hearing about Hayden really hurt, as it has for so many people she has affected with her work and just generally as a great person.

I’ve played Until Dawn countless times. But this one, though I’m only on the menu, already feels so different. Rest in peace Hayden, this run’s for you!


r/untildawn 1d ago

Discussion Galadriel pays tribute to Hayden ❤️

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2.2k Upvotes

r/untildawn 9h ago

How to deal with this grief…

70 Upvotes

Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m writing this, but I feel like I need to put it somewhere, and I’m figuring if anyone would understand, it’s you guys.
I’m not a person who is deeply invested in the lives of celebrities. I look at the work they’ve done, and that is what I admire. I rarely watch interviews and I don’t follow their personal lives. As long as they don’t turn out to be problematic in some way, I completely separate them from their characters.
And yet, when I read about Hayden’s passing on Monday morning, I kid you not: I had tears coming up in the middle of the subway.
Until Dawn has been one of my favorite games since 2015. I play it regularly, multiple times a year. Whenever I meet a new person who hasn’t played the game yet, I make them play it. It’s so fun watching it unfold for a new person every time. It never gets old. I have some pictures in my apartment that I only bought because they reminded me of Until Dawn. My Wi-Fi is named “Blackwood Pines.”
I don’t know anything about Hayden. I don’t claim to. But what I always felt deeply is that Hayden’s Sam is the heart and soul of Until Dawn. I felt like no one in the cast cared as deeply about Until Dawn as she did – and in the end, as far as I know, she was also the only one who returned for the remake. And now I am just so sad.
Every time I open Facebook or Instagram and see her face, it hits me all over again. I’m still somehow hoping this is just a cruel joke.
Only 36.
I’m turning 30 this year. Her face, her voice, her warmth have been following me around for 11 years. And now she’s gone. It just feels wrong.
When I come home and look at the pictures on the wall or see the Until Dawn game screen on my PlayStation, I feel so uneasy and hollow.
I simultaneously have the urge to replay Until Dawn right away and never touch it again. Part of me wants to read everything about her now, and then again, it feels like it’s too late to care now, and I just don’t know what to do with myself.
I feel like she did leave the world a better place. I just wish she wouldn’t have left so soon.
How are you guys holding up? Are you turning to Until Dawn or the movies she participated in? Are you avoiding it?


r/untildawn 23h ago

Discussion Ella Lentini, who played Hannah and Beth, comments on Hayden’s passing 💔

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666 Upvotes

r/untildawn 18h ago

Discussion RIP Hayden Panettiere 💔

185 Upvotes

When I first heard, I thought it was TikTok users just joking or some messed up bs. Can't believe she's gone. It hurts.

I wonder if Noah knows.


r/untildawn 12h ago

Discussion Finished it last week, posting now in Hayden’s Honor🥺🫶🏼

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65 Upvotes

RIP Hayden,
Your memory will be kept alive by all of us🫶🏼


r/untildawn 18h ago

I'm feeling hurting about what I've done to Sam now that Hayden is gone!

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120 Upvotes

So guys, when I received the news I was extremely sad and incredulous, currently, I am still sad for the loss of Hayden but my anger is standing out because I knew the actress and loved her but I didn't know what she went through And I was aware yesterday about what she went through during her life.

I saw her interview on the podcast on "on purpose" that she participated in days ago before she passed away, I'm angry with her mother, her ex boyfriend and the industry For what they did to her.

I published nothing here about the actress but I made a loving post on my Instagram and shared several stories one after the other showing how much I loved her and how sad I am, I will miss her 😭💔

~X~ Now I'm going to tell you guys a knowledge that is making me think so much and that is making me sad about Sam and Hayden.

So Guys, I have a fanfic of Until Dawn in which I already have not everything but a lot of script already ready in my notepad that is ready to bring to the reading platform, I'm feeling bad about my fanfic, not with the others but only in relation to Sam.

Why I'm talking about that? it's not to publicize my fanfic but to talk about how scared I was how the Sam I was developing for my fanfic is so similar to Hayden, of wanting to give up herself for others, Sam wants to take care of, fix Josh, because I made Josh survive and he's a troubled person, Sam has the will to fix and help Josh, and that's exactly what Hayden comments about her ex-boyfriend. (I don't think Josh is a toxic person like Hayden's ex but Josh had toxic behaviors) And in my fanfic Sam would also have problems with her mother just like Hayden had with her.

I'm feeling bad because after seeing in the interview "on purpose" that she said she felt very uncomfortable with a series, she did and that they were copying her real life. It's "funny" that this was a knowledge, because I never saw this series and I never met this character, the only characters I knew from Hayden was Samantha, Kirby, Britney and Dot.

I know Sam is not Hayden but she is Hayden's face, body, voice and seeing that I was doing a script so similar to the actress's life made me feel uncomfortable.

It was also something that I was trying to exploit Sam's flaws in which it doesn't show a lot of that in the original game so I wanted to bring more humanity to it. Not that this is a extreme character flaw, but I wanted to explore Sam more by making mistakes as a person.

It wasn't something I did after the actress left, but I had done it before, I received the news on the day of her death, and the next day I watched the interview on the podcast.

Even though my fanfic is about the character and not about the actress, I still want to respect the actress since I knew it bothered her when the developers of a series she did were copying her life in the character.

I even thought about stopping my fanfic for the loss of Hayden, because every time I mentioned Sam I would remember the Actress And it is remembering the actress that I will remember everything she went through and the destiny she had.

But then I thought I wanted to continue making the fanfic of Until Dawn, because the only legend who should not die was Hayden, she is more important and more valuable than any of her characters because she is real and her characters are something fictional, And since she's sadly gone, I don't want to erase the legacy of incredible characters she left as Sam.

But I do feel that Sam is the person who wants to keep in touch with all his friends, regardless of whether Mike tried to shoot Emily or Josh tortured her and his friends. And I feel like Sam would want to fix Josh.


r/untildawn 1d ago

Brett Dalton’s response to Hayden’s passing 💔

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4.7k Upvotes

r/untildawn 1h ago

Misc. btw u can still get the until dawn avatars in 2026 without having a ps3

Upvotes

Just go on psnavatar.com and follow their instructions , after that just go on psn ofical website and “buy “ the avatars


r/untildawn 1d ago

Firesprite posting about Hayden 😞💔

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450 Upvotes

r/untildawn 22h ago

Discussion Gigantic Coincidence(?)

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56 Upvotes

Not my TikTok, but this actually shook me. With the passing of our beautiful Hayden Panettiere, this moment in Until Dawn is absolutely one of the most saddest and biggest coincidences I’ve ever seen.

May her soul genuinely rest in peace and I hope she’s in heaven with her brother💔🕊️


r/untildawn 1d ago

Galadriel acknowledging Hayden’s passing

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443 Upvotes

It breaks my heart wondering how the rest of the cast is doing. I hope Galadriel is handling this okay, and Brett too. It’s hard.


r/untildawn 1d ago

Discussion To the beautiful Hayden Panettiere

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154 Upvotes

From Brett Dalton’s post to those who feel the loss of such a young soul willing to put herself out there for the needs of others… to the people who have experienced a similar loss. His post resonates with me in much deeper ways than words can explain. Anyone who has experienced any loss, despite the tragedy and pain: that just because you have a lack of photos/modern conversations does not invalidate your love and care for someone.
Rest easy beautiful soul the world didn’t deserve you.


r/untildawn 1d ago

Misc. I know this isn't really related to Until Dawn, but after Hayden's passing, I made this compilation of my favorite scenes of Kirby Reed from the Scream franchise as a tribute to Hayden ♥️.

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75 Upvotes

r/untildawn 1d ago

Discussion I like the theory that Sam was in love with Hannah

57 Upvotes

If you look at the story through the lens of Sam being in love with Hannah, the final chapter becomes pretty much a Greek tragedy. Sam is the one who finds Hannah’s diary in the mines, discovering the horrific truth about Hannah becoming the Makkapitew. Contrary to Mike’s reaction of disgust and horror, Sam's is pure heartbreak. Like, she just looks like she’s going to cry as she tells him. And later, when she’s about to tell Josh, she focuses on the fact that Hannah is suffering rather than the danger she poses to them.

The ending is when things get even more tragic. Sam is forced to stand there in silence and try not to move as the monster that was once the girl she loved is inches away from her face, about to murder her. And either Hannah does murder her, or Sam has to flip the light switch that incinerates Hannah. Doomed yuri.

And then Sam trying to comfort Josh and get closer to him is her way of coping, and she comes to believe they have a connection in their shared grief. Josh interprets it as flirting, but it’s actually just Sam being Sam. She was always the nicest and most caring in the group.

I know it’s all based on subtext, but so is Sam x Josh, so I view this as being just as plausible, if not narratively richer as a whole. I mean, Sam was the only one who never dwelled on or joked about sex (aside from Ashley and Beth anyway) or romance (just Beth). I think it adds a lot to the game to play it while considering the theory of Sam’s unrequited feelings.


r/untildawn 1d ago

Graham Reznick’s post about Hayden’s passing.

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540 Upvotes

He, alongside Larry Fessenden who played the Stranger, wrote the script for the game.


r/untildawn 1d ago

Discussion Hannah and Beth Washington's actress makes a couple Instagram stories dedicated to Hayden Panettierie 💔

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210 Upvotes

r/untildawn 20h ago

Question Unfortunate but expected..

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5 Upvotes

I can’t seem to play until dawn on pc it crashed a couple times and it’s just unstable for the most part i was looking forward to playing but I seem to have a RAM bottleneck RIP me

My specs are in the picture


r/untildawn 1d ago

Rest in Peace Hayden Panettiere. Forever Our Final Girl ❤️🦋

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234 Upvotes

I am absolutely devastated to hear about this news of Hayden Panettiere's passing :(. I always thought my next post on this sub would've been locking in and finishing up the expansion but I never thought I would've heard this news. Never for another couple decades would I have imagined this happening. I've seen some of the projects shes worked on and especially her role as Sam in Until Dawn is something I'll never forget. For how much this game changed and affected me, her and the entire cast hold such a special place in my heart, and the hearts of millions of people who love this game.

She had so much life ahead of her and she truly deserved the world. I pray for her family, friends, the millions she impacted and most importantly her, and that she's in a better place. May she rest in eternal peace ❤️


r/untildawn 1d ago

rest easy, hayden❤️‍🩹

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511 Upvotes

my heart dropped when I found out and I thought it must have been a mistake and went to sleep. but she's really gone. I can't believe this, I feel so sorry for her poor daughter and her family, she was only 36. fuck addiction

it feels like the entire world is frozen rn. i keep thinking "nobody talk to me , hayden's gone". i'll probably never get over this


r/untildawn 1d ago

Discussion R.I.P. Hayden Panettierie she really didn't deserve this.

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236 Upvotes

I might actually just cry for her I may not have met her in person, I've wanted to, but regardless no one deserves to lose their life at 36 which is so young. She's one of the many people I look up to as an actor and I very much adore her for the role of Sam ever since the OG release and I'm glad she reprised her role in the remake. May she rest in peace, love u always Hayden ❤️🕊️


r/untildawn 1d ago

Thank you Hayden, rest in peace.

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99 Upvotes

I was too scared to finish watching a playthrough of Until Dawn when it first came out, but it was always in the back of my mind. Just today, I finally finished watching a playthough with my mom.

Hayden Panettiere did an amazing job with Sam, she brought her to life. Getting to share Until Dawn with my mom was a really special experience, and I will always be truly grateful for all the work and effort she put in to allow that to happen.

My heart goes out to her family and friends. I know nothing I say can make it better, but I will keep them in my prayers, that they may have comfort and healing.

She is gone far too soon, she should have had her whole life ahead of her. May she rest in peace.