‘Dead by Daylight’ Movie Names Thordur Palsson as Director

Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Behaviour Interactive have tapped Thordur Palsson to direct their film adaptation of the horror multiplayer game “Dead by Daylight.”

Palsson, an Icelandic native, is best known for creating and directing the nation’s first Netflix Original series, “The Valhalla Murders,” which premiered on the streamer in 2020. His feature directorial debut, “The Dammed,” hit theaters in early 2025 with a wide release from Vertical. Palsson is currently in production on a four-part mini series, “Avalanche,” which follows a meteorologist who returns to her village to spread a warning of an impending disaster.

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“There is no better moment than the tenth anniversary to share this news. Thordur is the filmmaker we trust to carry ‘Dead by Daylight’ from the screen you play on to the big screen you watch in theaters,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Atomic Monster.

“Dead by Daylight” is a multiplayer, survival horror game developed by Behaviour Interactive and 505 Games. Each match is occupied by five players, four of whom play as survivors while the remaining player is the killer. It’s the survivors’ job to avoid being caught while completing tasks that allow them to escape, and it’s the killer’s job to stop them. While “Dead by Daylight” now has a roster of dozens of killers, the three that launched with the game in 2016 were The Trapper, who uses bear traps to ensnare his victims, The Wraith, a ghostly figure who can turn invisible and The Hillbilly, who is chainsaw-weilding Leatherface clone.

While once a joke in Hollywood, video game to big screen adaptations have become some of the most profitable ventures in filmmaking. “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” were some of the highest-grossing blockbusters of their respective years, pulling in $960 million and $1.3 billion. Video game adaptations like “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Iron Lung” were also major earners.

Palsson is repped by Sayle Screen, CAA, Sycamore Media and Jackoway Tyerman.