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I know we haven't been the best of friends lately... and I've been kinda messed up and everything... but I'm getting better, man... I swear!
 
— Josh

Joshua "Josh" Washington is one of the eight main protagonists, the secondary antagonist, and a playable character in Until Dawn. He is the older brother of Hannah and Beth Washington.

After the disappearance of his twin sisters, he invites his friends back to his family lodge a year later in an attempt to forget the tragedy. He is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek.

Appearance[]

Josh is a young man with short chocolate-brown hair, much like his sisters Hannah and Beth. He has a slightly tan complexion and green eyes.

During the Prologue, Josh wears a grey sweater with a big white stripe on it and a pair of jeans.

A year later, he is seen wearing a knit wool beanie and a sleeveless puffer jacket outside. Inside, he wears a dark brown shirt underneath a flat-collared blue and white plaid-styled unbuttoned shirt and a pair of jeans.

Later, after some chapters, he dons a pair of overalls and receives a wound to his forehead, and his neck.

Personality[]

We know he definitely can be depressed at some times, and a bit of a loner, but he takes some solace in one of his sister's friends, Sam, played by Hayden Panettiere. And he invites everybody back to the same house the next year to kind of find some closure.
 
— Rami Malek on Josh
JoshTraits

Josh is described as thoughtful, loving, and complex. Josh's interactions with the other survivors tend to be humorous. He cares for his friends, acts as a brotherly figure to Chris, and likes to make sure everyone is having a good time. He goes to Sam for support after the loss of his sisters.

His dreams of following his father's footsteps in becoming a film producer make him very knowledgeable about special effects and movie props and as such, he constantly uses phrases and words from movies.

Josh struggles to come to terms with the disappearance of his sisters. The event triggered depression, which became more and more severe a year before the events of Until Dawn. He appears to have psychosis, which was caused by this depression, and schizophrenia: a mental illness characterized by a disconnection from reality.

If the Psychiatric Report is found, it's revealed that Josh has been diagnosed as mentally ill since he was 11 years old. However, all medications that are listed in the record are solely for depression treatment. It is also implied he has a fear of isolation. During Dr. Hill's therapy sessions, the player can choose Josh's anxieties and insecurities.

Until Dawn[]

Biography[]

Josh is the first child of movie mogul Bob Washington and his wife, Melinda. He, along with his family, would frequently travel to the family lodge located on Blackwood Mountain during each summer and winter. As he got older, his father became too busy to hang out with him, which brought him and his sisters closer together.

Josh was studying psychology at college prior to Hannah's and Beth's disappearance, which caused him to drop out. He has struggled to come to terms with the disappearance of his sisters.

A bit older than the rest of the group, Josh is something of an older brother figure to Chris. He loves taking the helm, organizing cool events, and making sure that everybody has an awesome time.

Josh definitely has a bit of a party-animal streak (honed in his freshman year), but his warm and friendly personality will win everybody around in the end.

Involvement[]

One Year Ago[]

Josh, along with his sisters, invited all of their closest friends to the mountain for a weekend of fun. As the night progressed, Josh, along with Chris, passed out from drinking heavily. Due to this, he was unaware of the impending prank on Hannah and was ultimately unable to intervene.

Chapter 1[]

Josh Video

Josh recording his video.

Before the chapter opens, Sam is shown riding a bus to Blackwood Pines, while listening to a radio report of Hannah and Beth on her phone, who are still confirmed missing. After the broadcast, she presses the return button, and the screen cuts to Josh, recording a video. After his failed intro, he starts again by happily welcoming all his friends back to the "annual Blackwood winter getaway." He then laments by saying that it won't be easy to return to the mountain after what happened the previous year and that it means so much to him that they're doing this and to Hannah and Beth because they're "all still together, thinking of them." His true goal is to spend some quality time with everyone and make it a night they'll never forget, for the sake of his sisters.

When Sam later meets up with Chris, they discuss Josh's state. They express admiration for how he deals with his situation, but Sam also questions if coming back was the right thing to do. Chris argues that he hasn't seen him so excited in forever.

Chapter 2[]

Josh returns to the lodge, happy to see that everyone else had decided to return as well. Delighted to see his friend Chris, they discover the door’s lock is frozen and accompanies Chris to get inside the basement to find a way in. On the path, he talks to Chris about Ashley and partakes in a joke to "rip her parka right off her and make some snow angels," to which Chris can either agree with him or tell him to take it down a notch. Josh then asks him if he could "imagine a more perfect, ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities" as there are no parents around and that he's laid everything down for this moment, as Chris has been nothing but perfect to Ashley. Chris can then agree with him or disagree. No matter what, Josh finishes his part of the conversation by encouraging him to try.

After finding another entryway, Chris climbs through the basement window and ends up falling flat on his back, assuring Josh that's he's okay and that he should have paid more attention in climbing class, to which Josh replies by correcting him. After that, the light bulb suddenly bursts, catching them unaware and confused. Josh hands Chris a lighter and has an idea concerning a deodorant can in the bathroom. He tells Chris that if he uses the can and the lighter, he can make a flamethrower to thaw the lock. Chris understands and says that it reminds him of the plastic army soldiers they used to melt when they were younger.

Josh then tells Chris that he needs to check something and asks if he'll be okay by himself in the dark. Chris responds that he won't, but he'll still do it, and so, Josh leaves after saluting Chris. When the lodge entrance is open, Josh reappears just as Chris is being teased by Sam and Ashley for being frightened, once again by the baby wolverine, and adds in by saying that he shouldn't worry because he's "going to be a big boy soon."

After everyone's inside, Josh begins to light a fire for everyone but ends up having to stop either a physical dispute between Matt and Mike, or a catfight between Emily and Jessica. Irritated, he says that this isn't what he wanted and that if they all can't be together for one night then maybe they need a break. To diffuse the tension, he advises Mike and Jessica to find the guest cabin, while Matt and Emily leave the lodge to find Emily’s lost bag. He then asks Chris to find a spirit board for a little bit of fun, to which Ashley wholeheartedly agrees and goes to find it, with Chris following behind her. Once the fire's going, he descends with Sam, who came downstairs as there was no hot water left for her bath, down to the basement to turn on the water boiler. Here, Sam hears a strange noise after Josh asks her to shine the torch his way so he can find the switch.

JoshSam

Josh and Sam following the noise in the basement.

After the boiler successfully works, the two can either share a high five, or Sam ignores him. Sometime after this, they hear a rhythmic noise which Sam describes as regular. Josh becomes anxious and tells her that there's nothing "regular" about it. Regardless of the choices at this point, a masked man, dressed in an old monk robe, jumps out on them and chases them all the way to the basement door as Sam tries to unlock it, much to her annoyance. Josh replies to her by saying they lock it to "keep out strangers." When the masked man stops in his tracks, Sam, regaining her breath, walks over in disbelief as the man reveals himself to be none other than Chris, who happily declares that they "just got monked." After Sam asks him if he was in on it, he denies his involvement by complementing Chris, saying that it was "too good" and later playfully teases Sam for being frightened by the experience.

After Mike and Jess leave the lodge, Josh follows them and hands them the keys to the cabin before departing again.

Chapter 3[]

JoshBoard-1

Josh playing with the spirit board.

A few hours later, Josh, along with Chris and Ashley, play with the spirit board. Chris chooses Ashley to start them off as she is a "recent convert". After the board replies by needing help, A scared Ashley asks who they are, per Chris's request. The board responds with one answer that startles them all: "sister." Now visibly distressed, Josh initially wants to find out more about what the spirit is saying.

Chris becomes very skeptical, but Josh tells him to shut up and tells Ashley to ask which sister they're speaking to. She does so and the cursor glides to "yes." Chris then says that if this truly was Hannah or Beth, they could finally tell them what happened the night they disappeared. When they ask the spirit, the cursor rapidly glides to different letters to make a plethora of words, such as "killed," "proof" and "library." Just as the group was figuring out the board's clues, the cursor and the board suddenly flies off the table. The group feels different emotions; Chris feels rather entertained while Ashley is shocked. However, Josh, riddled with disbelief, is emotionally upset and becomes annoyed with them. He doesn't understand the situation and wonders if it was a trick for him to deal with his grief. Ignoring their pleas, he ignores them, saying that they're full of it before storming off. Ashley then asks Chris if they should check up on him, to which he replies that he needs to left alone for a while.

Understanding his feelings concerning his sisters, Ashley states that she doesn't blame him for it. After some time, they follow the spirit's last words and head to the library, where they pick up a clue and wander around the house, looking for Josh. Not long after, Josh screams from the kitchen, and Ashley tries to break through the doors, only to be suddenly pulled in. Chris shouts her name and breaks through the seemingly locked doors and looks around for them. He momentarily sees Ashley, but a strange man suddenly appears and knocks him out.

Chapter 4[]

After waking up, Chris is slightly dazed with a large bruise on the left side of his head. Worried about his friends, he picks up a torch and follows down a pathway seemingly made for him. Along the way, his worries increase as he sees blood splatters on the walls and floorboards, Ashley's bloodied pouch and a pig head. He then approaches a shed and walks inside, shouting out Ashley's name. She then responds, frightened as to what's happening. He tries to reassure her before a light is suddenly turned on, revealing a contraption with Ashley and Josh, who is still unconscious, chained to the front of a board. A disembodied voice emanates within the room which thanks to the group for "joining him." Ashley, growing terrified, rouses Josh back to consciousness, and he too becomes confused and scared.

Saw Ash Josh

The voice then states to Chris that he must kill one of his friends to save the other. As he says this, a large mechanical saw fires up and proceeds across the rail to Ashley and Josh, who are both screaming to Chris to help them. Chris, struggling to focus, then decides to save one of them. At this point, the player's choice doesn't matter; Josh will be chosen to die. Feeling betrayed, Josh yells at Chris, asking why he did this and what he did to deserve it. The saw then dismembers Josh by the waist, his screams echoing within the shed and splatters a part of Ashley's body with his blood. Now that the "experiment" has finished, a door opens to let Chris out and help Ashley and tells her not to look, at which she shouts at him and just wants to get out. While walking away from the scene, Ashley accidentally looks at Josh's corpse and becomes racked with grief before the two make their way out of the shed.

Emily and Matt see them as they emerge down the path and run to them. Confused and worried, they ask them what happened. Chris, clearly distraught by the experience, tries to get his words out but just collapses and tells them about the "maniac" and Josh. Now knowing what they're up against, Emily and Matt tell them to go back to the lodge and find the others, while they find help.

Chapter 5[]

Ashley, Chris, and Josh are briefly mentioned by Matt and Emily as they discuss Josh's death and the mystery surrounding it. Emily asks Matt if they should have checked the shed to see if what they were saying was true.

The Psycho will later play a video of Josh's death to Sam in the cinema room, causing her to scream out in fear.

Chapter 6[]

However not physically appearing in this chapter as himself, he is mentioned a few times. While at the fire tower, Emily can tell the rangers about the maniac killing "one of her friends." Chris and Ashley will also mention Josh numerous times, most notably when Ashley thanks Chris for saving her life over Josh's.

Chapter 7[]

Visit The Psycho's page for a timeline of Josh as The Psycho, and how he appeared in previous chapters.

Later in the story, Josh reveals himself to be the Psycho in front of a shocked Sam, Chris, Ashley, and Mike. Here he concludes that his horror escapade was a way of getting revenge on his friends after their prank on his sisters the previous year, causing their disappearance. He explains how he is still alive: he had used a fake body back at the sawmill, and the saw was rigged to go to Josh no matter what Chris did, allowing him to fake his death and proceed as planned.

After revealing his plan, which was to prank them on camera and release the footage on the internet making them viral stars, he is knocked unconscious by Mike, who believes he killed Jessica. He is led back to the shed by Chris and Mike while displaying signs of instability, such as provoking to the two based on their past choices. He is tied to a support beam in the shed, and Mike stays with him, watching him babble various movie quotes while Chris returns to the lodge. Soon Mike does the same, leaving him alone in the shed.

Chapter 8[]

After The Stranger informs the group about the Wendigo, Mike tells them he left Josh alone in the shed. It becomes clear Chris still considers Josh a friend, as he claims he is "letting him down" and is, regardless of Ashley's attempts, convinced to get him back. When the Stranger and Chris arrive at the shed, Josh is nowhere to be seen, with a bloody puddle where he was tied up. Later on, it is revealed that the Wendigo dragged him away.

Chapter 9[]

Josh is seen falling into the mines and landing unconscious.

Chapter 10[]

JoshSam-0

Josh found breaking down by Mike and Sam.

Josh was dragged across the mountain and dropped into the mines where he awakens. His fear of being alone combined with intense hallucinations cause him to have a complete nervous and mental breakdown. It becomes clear that his "sessions" with Dr. Hill were hallucinations, formed out of actual former sessions he had, and once Dr. Hill finally leaves him, he begins to have nightmarish visions of his sisters and sees some of his fears come to life.

Sam and Mike rescue him by following his screams and find him in a catatonic state before Mike snaps him out of it. Being unable to climb a rock face in his condition, he follows Mike through a room containing the bodies of the deceased and wades across an underground lake in the caverns. Mike and Josh are ambushed by Hannah (now a Wendigo). If Josh recognizes Hannah too late, she will kill him on the spot by crushing his skull. If the Scrawled Journal was found, however, Josh will shout out her name and Hannah recognizes him as well and spares him, dragging him away alive.

Credits[]

If he was spared by Hannah, having no clue how to escape the cavernous mines, completely mentally broken and isolated from all human contact (which is implied to be his greatest fear), Josh is overwhelmed with hunger as the days pass, and he succumbs to the Wendigo Spirit. If any survivor talks to the police about the mines, Josh is discovered by two rangers cannibalizing the head of The Stranger before turning towards them, presumably killing them. If nobody survived except Josh, the two rangers wouldn't discover him, but he will still cannibalize The Stranger and look at the camera as the screen cuts to black.

Josh can also be mentioned by every single protagonist, except Jessica.

  • If Sam survives, she will tell the authorities that she thought that the two of them were close, Josh talking with Sam after the disappearance of Hannah and Beth.
  • If Mike survives, he will tell the rangers that Josh was "out of his fucking mind" and that he thought that Josh attacked Jessica.
    • If Mike survives while Sam or Josh did not, he will indicate that Josh helped them, but the Wendigo possibly murdered Josh, as Mike himself tried to find a safe spot.
  • If Matt survives, while Sam, Mike, and Jessica did not, he will report that the "madman" killed Josh, not knowing that Josh himself was the "madman."
  • If Emily is the sole survivor, she will say that she did not see Josh in the lodge, so he must be in the mines instead.
  • If Chris survives, while Sam, Mike, Jessica, Matt, and Ashley did not, he will express deep sadness about his status, even crying. He'll then state that a Wendigo taking Josh down to the mines is the only thing that makes sense.
    • If Chris hit Josh at the shed, Chris will mention that he was acting like a maniac, and he tried to "fuck with their heads."
  • If Ashley survives and she stabbed Josh, she will express regret about stabbing Josh, but will then defend herself stating that she didn't know that the Psycho was Josh.
    • If Ashley survives, while Sam, Mike, Matt, and Jessica did not, she will state that the Wendigo most likely took Josh to the mines and that everyone was supposed to meet up.

Possible Death[]

Possible Deaths
Chapter Event Caused By Conditions
10 Head Crushed Hannah (Wendigo) Sam did not find the Scrawled Journal

Relationships[]

Hannah and Beth[]

Josh, Hannah, and Beth were all siblings and had positive relationships with each other.

Josh is shown to love Hannah very much, as evidenced by the engraved jewelry box he gave her and his distress over learning what happened to her. His hallucination in Chapter 10 shows that he feels heavy sorrow and guilt over his sisters' disappearance. If Sam finds the Scrawled Journal, Josh may potentially recognize Hannah even in her Wendigo state, leading her to also recognizing and sparing him, which indicates they still have a bond even after Hannah has lost most of her humanity. However, if Josh did not hear the truth of what happened to her, he will be too late in recognizing her and will be killed by his sister as a Wendigo.

Beth is shown to have trusted and cared for Josh. They were apparently very close, as evidenced by the pictures the player can find laying around of the three siblings together. After she discovers Mike's note to Hannah, she has the option to try to wake Josh, who passed out after drinking too much, to help her. Before her disappearance, she found Josh's drunken state to be amusing. She comments, "Once again, brother, you've outdone us all." Josh is shown to feel very sorrowful and guilty over Beth's death.

Ashley[]

Ashley is the main focus of Josh's teasing towards Chris. He knows he has feelings for her and often jokingly criticizes Chris for not taking the first step. Josh and Ashley seem to be close friends, continuously spending time together in the lodge. Ashley and Chris seem to be the main victims of Josh's taunting, as she will be knocked out by Josh as the Psycho and be tied up next to him in the shed. Chris can choose to save her, leaving Josh behind with betrayed feelings. He will continue to prank the two as they explore the basement and Ashley seems mortified as he reveals himself as the Psycho, arguing with Chris to stay in the lodge because he let everyone down.

Relationship Increases

  • If Ashley is apologetic during the seance, his relationship with Ashley will slightly increase.
  • If Josh prefers Ashley over Chris, his relationship with Ashley will slightly increase.

Relationship Decreases

  • If Ashley is flippant during the seance, his relationship with Ashley will slightly decrease.
  • If Josh doesn't prefer Ashley over Chris, his relationship with Ashley will slightly decrease.

  • Chris[]

    See Chris and Josh for more information.

    Chris is Josh's best friend, having known each other since third grade. Josh's highest relationship status is with Chris. Joking around together often, Josh will tease Chris' aversion to pursuing his feelings for Ashley, to which Chris can respond positively or negatively. Josh often encourages him to make a move, even going as far as manipulating situations so that the two end up alone together. Even during the interrogation in the shed, Chris can either defend Josh by being skeptical about him killing Jessica or act in aggression towards him, specifically punching him the face if he punched Ashley. It's worth noting that even though the saw trap is rigged to bisect Josh regardless of the player's choice, Josh will still feel betrayed by Chris if he chooses to save Ashley instead, and will berate him about Ashley while being interrogated.

    Regardless of whether or not Chris is angered by Josh during the interrogation, he will still insist on going back to save him at the realization of them leaving him out for the Wendigo's picking. He reasons that whether or not Josh had wronged them, he owes it to him, as his best friend, to rescue him.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Chris worries about Josh, his relationship with Chris will slightly increase.
    • If Chris agrees with Josh about Ashley on both occasions, his relationship with Chris will increase.
      • However, If Chris agrees with Josh about Ashley on only one occasion, his relationship with Chris will only slightly increase.
    • If Josh prefers Chris over Ashley, his relationship with Chris will slightly increase.
    • If Chris decides to save Josh, his relationship with Chris will slightly increase.
    • If Chris scolds Josh and is skeptical about Josh hurting Jessica afterward, his relationship with Chris will slightly increase.
    • If Chris disarms Mike, his relationship with Chris will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Josh doesn't prefer Chris over Ashley, his relationship with Chris will slightly decrease.
  • If Chris decides to save Ashley, his relationship with Chris will decrease.
  • If Chris scolds Josh, his relationship with Chris will slightly decrease.
  • If Chris dismisses Josh's claims about hurting Jessica and is aggressive instead of angry with Josh afterward, his relationship with Chris will slightly decrease.
  • If Chris is aggressive instead of defensive with Josh, his relationship with Chris will decrease.
  • If Chris knocks out Josh, his relationship with Chris will slightly decrease.

  • Emily[]

    Josh is the only character that doesn't directly interact with Emily throughout the game, but the two have a lower relationship presumably due to Emily's heavy involvement in the prank and Josh's disfavor of bossy types. Despite that, Josh does not actively make Emily a subject of his traps - though this may be because she leaves the lodge early on. He does watch her and Matt through the monitors, leaves behind a threatening note for them and wrecks the cable car station so that they are unable to leave the mountain. Early on, he stops her argument with Jessica, and Emily will later express shock and disbelief after hearing about Josh's ''death''. She later explains to Mike and possibly the police officers that the Wendigo may have taken him down to the mine after his attack.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Josh prefers Emily over Matt, his relationship with Emily will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Josh doesn't prefer Emily over Matt, his relationship with Emily will slightly decrease.

  • Jessica[]

    Josh has a fairly amicable relationship with Jessica, despite her being the one who organized the prank on Hannah. Josh breaks up Jess' fight with Emily and sends her and Mike off to the cabin, perhaps with the intention of pranking them, though this never happens due to Jessica being abducted (and potentially killed) by a Wendigo. Mike will knock Josh out because he believes him to be her killer and will tie him up in the shed. After being tied up in the shed, Josh will tauntingly tell Mike that Jess has a "tight bod"; however, he will be shocked and apologetic when Mike accuses him of killing her, denying profusely that he touched her, indicating he did care about Jess's well-being and had no desire to see her come to harm.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Josh prefers Jessica over Mike, His relationship with Jessica will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Josh doesn't prefer Jessica over Mike, his relationship with Jessica will slightly decrease.

  • Matt[]

    Matt and Josh don't seem to be very good friends, as their relationship status isn't among the highest. On Josh's end, his relationship with Matt is the lowest. This may be due to Matt filming the prank on Hannah and also because Matt is also dating Emily, who was heavily involved in the prank. Matt offers to help with the fire but is cut short by Emily. Josh may have intended to prank Matt, though this is never confirmed. Josh breaks up Matt's fight with Mike (if it happens), while Matt expresses concern after Josh's "death" and can also mention Josh during his interview, believing he had been killed by the "psycho" (as he is unaware that Josh actually is the Psycho), indicating that Matt at least cares about Josh and vice versa.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting, challenges Mike, but then apologizes afterward, his relationship with Matt will slightly increase.
    • If Josh prefers Matt over Emily, his relationship with Matt will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting, then warns Mike to stay away from Emily, but backs off, his relationship with Matt will slightly decrease.
  • If Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting and fights with Mike, his relationship with Matt will decrease.
  • If Jessica and Emily fought and Matt tells Jessica to shut her mouth, his relationship with Matt will slightly decrease.
  • If Josh doesn't prefer Matt over Emily, his relationship with Matt will slightly decrease.

  • Mike[]

    Josh does not seem to blame Mike for the disappearances of Hannah and Beth. He still jokes around with him and Jessica, even though they and Emily were the most involved in the prank against Hannah. Josh may also break up Matt's fight with Mike, where he will send him and Jess to the cabin. However, when revealing himself as the Psycho, Mike will become furious, convinced Josh killed Jessica. When Josh is saved in the mines by Sam and Mike and the latter got him out of his trance, it seems he still sees Mike as a close friend.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Josh prefer Mike over Jessica, his relationship with Mike will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Josh doesn't prefer Mike over Jessica, his relationship with Mike will slightly decrease.

  • Sam[]

    See Josh and Sam for more information.

    SamBasement

    Josh and Sam are friends, the closeness undetermined as Sam is Josh's second-highest relationship but tied with Ashley and Jess. Josh is at the same level as everyone to Sam, except Jess and Mike, who are slightly lower. After the disappearance of Josh's sisters, Josh and Sam seemed to lean on each other for support for their mutual loss of people close to them. During a quiet moment when the two are alone, he thanks her for coming to the annual meet-up. Josh likes to tease Sam, and occasionally makes jokes like asking if she needs help with the bath.

    He scares Sam along with Chris and Ashley as part of his revenge scheme, not only showing her footage of himself being sawed in half but also chasing her around the lodge while dressed as the Psycho.

    Sam is later shown feeling betrayed by Josh's actions in an interview with a police officer, revealing that she thought they had a connection through the loss of the twins.

    Relationship Increases

    • If Sam chooses to be serious upon picking up the baseball bat, his relationship with Sam will slightly increase.
    • If Sam chooses to be heroic when checking out the noise in the basement, his relationship with Sam will increase.
    • If Josh prefers Sam over himself, his relationship with Sam will slightly increase.

    Relationship Decreases

  • If Sam was mocking when talking about Chris and Ashley, his relationship with Sam will slightly decrease.
  • If Sam chooses to be humorous upon picking up the baseball bat, his relationship with Sam will slightly decrease.
  • If Josh doesn't prefer Sam over himself, his relationship with Sam will slightly decrease.

  • Trivia[]

    Playability[]

    • The player character in Dr. Hill's therapy sessions is revealed to be Josh AKA The Psycho.
    • Josh is only playable in one chapter (10).
      • He also has 2 playable segments (twice in Chapter 10).
      • This makes him the least playable protagonist, if you don't count the psycho's therapy sessions.
    • Josh appears in 7 chapters.
    • Josh is the only protagonist to not make a physical appearance in Chapter 1.

    Totems[]

    Clues[]

    • Along with Jess, he doesn't find any clues throughout the game.

    Facts[]

    The following contains information from the companion app and the Press Kit edition of the game.

    • His dream job is a film producer.
    • He loves his family and hates being bossed around.
    • He is voted most likely to work in the film industry.
    • In ten years, he sees himself having a good time.
    • Josh's favorite quote is by Francis Ford Coppola: "It takes no imagination to live within your means."
    • His highest traits are funny, charitable, and curious.
    • His lowest traits are brave, romantic, and honest.
      • Josh is the most funny and one of the least brave and romantic out of all the protagonists.
    • His highest base relationship status is with Chris.
    • His lowest base relationship status is with Matt.
    • Josh is the oldest member of the group, at 20 years old.
    • Depending on the player's choices, Josh has either fear of isolation, darkness, failure, or the supernatural.
    • Josh is the only known character to have a mental illness.
    • Josh is affected by 3 Butterfly Effect segments.
      • This makes him the least affected protagonist.

    Medical History[]

    • At age 11, he was referred to a psychiatrist by his school due to an incident. From then on, he began to take antidepressants. Nine years later, after the disappearance of his sisters, his depression worsened, to the point that his psychiatrists recommended ECT. Instead, he began taking stronger medication (which he later stopped taking, causing him to suffer withdrawal symptoms). However, it is possible that Josh was still on his medication, but it had only affected his depression and not psychosis as Josh does not show any signs of depression early on.
    • Psychiatric reports found by Sam (if she successfully evades capture), show that Josh attempted suicide and began overdosing on his medication after Hannah and Beth's disappearance.
    • Josh's psychiatric report indicates that he suffers from depression. However, he shows additional symptoms that are not typical of depression, such as suffering from delusion/detachment from reality, disorganized speech, visual and auditory hallucinations. This might hint that Josh is misdiagnosed, and his medication is actually ineffective due to possessing a second mental illness that the psychiatrists weren't entirely aware of.
      • Many fans theorize that his second mental illness is schizophrenia, a brain disorder in which a person has disassociation from reality. Its symptoms are visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal/paranoia, and disorganized speech. This usually appears between the ages 16-30.
        • Both schizophrenia and depression can cause psychosis.
        • It should be noted that many of Josh's later symptoms in the game - visual and auditory hallucinations, slurred speech, delusions, and disassociation from reality - all match withdrawal symptoms of Phenelzine, the very strong medication he has been prescribed as noted in the Psychiatric Report. It can be assumed that Josh stopped taking his medication, and that is where most, if not all, of his later behavior comes from. Given that Phenelzine's half-life is approximately 11 hours, it can be assumed that he stopped taking his medication shortly before the events on Blackwood Mountain.
        • The drugs that were prescribed to Josh are all focused around serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter. Depression is theorized to be caused by a lack of serotonin. Fluoxetine is an SSRI, a "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor", which helps increase serotonin production in the brain.
        • Schizophrenia, which is theorized to be caused by either an excess or deficit of dopamine,[1] was not treated at all by any of Josh's prescribed meds.
        • This leads to the conclusion that Josh was being treated for the wrong disorder, resulting in his schizophrenia running unchecked and possibly even exacerbating it.
        • Josh is considered to have psychological schizophrenia, a form of schizophrenia that included the previously mentioned symptoms, such as hallucinations, paranoia, hearing voices, depression, fear, persecutory delusions, religious delusions, etc.
        • As seen in the Psychiatric Report found by Sam, Josh's prescription of Phenelzine, 60 mg, is four times higher than the typical dose, with 15 mg usually being considered a maintenance dose.

    Deaths[]

    • Josh is one of three characters that can only be killed in Chapter 10. The other two are Sam and Mike.
    • Josh is one of the four protagonists - the others being Chris, Jessica, and Matt, who may only be killed outside the lodge, meaning that their bodies won't be found, unless the police go down to the mines, which requires at least one protagonist to survive.
    • Josh can only be killed one way: having his head crushed by Hannah.
    • Along with Mike, his fate depends only on another character's (Sam's) actions.
    • Finding a clue is essential to ensure Josh's survival.
      • He is the only character that requires a clue for him to live.

    Other[]

    • He is the only protagonist who is not rescued at the end if he survives the game, also making him the only protagonist who is not interviewed by the police if he survives.
    • Not counting the scene where he is recording his video (which appears before Chapter 1), Josh is the only character that will first appear and be introduced in Chapter 2.
    • If you choose Josh as your most disliked character in Dr. Hill's session, he will comment on you "being full of surprises." During Chapter 8, Hill will hold Josh accountable for that, claiming he despises himself.
    • If Chris chose to shoot Ashley, Josh will comment that she's better off with Mike, as he "knows how to treat a lady... Hint: It's not to shoot her in the face." This is rather ironic (and perhaps a bit of foreshadowing), seeing as Mike may later choose to shoot Emily in the head if she was bitten by a Wendigo.
    • Josh and Ashley are the only characters without "Don't Move" segments. This makes them the only protagonists unable to die by failing QTE or "Don't Move" segments.

    References[]

    • One of his quotes, "Godspeed, pilgrim!", is a reference to famous western actor John Wayne.

    Quotes[]

    • "Let's party like we're fucking porn stars!"
    • "When are you gonna take her to the bone zone?"
    • "I DID something! I made you believe in the world I created, and I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit!"
    • "I said you're a dummy, dummy."
    • "Oooh! Sleepover! C-can we order pizza?"

    Prologue[]

    The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

    Chapter 1[]

    The character does not appear in this chapter.

    Chapter 2[]

    • "Ashley was looking pretty hot today, right? She's like a "sleeper hit" kinda gal, you know?... Now I just wanna rip that parka right off her... make some snow angels. Right? (...) When are you gonna take her to the bone zone?" - Josh teasing Chris.
    • "So how are we planning on breaking into my parents' lodge, bud?"
      • "Wait, I didn't say I had a plan-" - Chris
      • "You sounded like you had a plan. You better deliver, Cochise, or else you got four lovely ladies who are gonna be freezing their buns off, and last time I checked, that's not a good way to get laid." - Josh
    • "I swear, they just need like, something to bond over, ya' know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other's arms. And, knowing Chris, we'll be in the geriatric ward before Chris makes a move." - Josh conversing about Ashley and Chris' relationship with Sam.
    • "Um... I want us to have a good time, you know..."
    • "Nah, nah, come on, I've been down here plenty of times, big ole' lodge has got to belch out sometimes."

    Chapter 3[]

    "Listen, I don't know... I don't know if you think messing with me is somehow going to help me with my grief or whatever but this is not cool. I don't need this right now, okay?!! You guys are full of it!" - Josh upset over the Ouija Board.

    Chapter 4[]

    • "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! LET ME DOWN FROM HERE YOU MANIAC! Shit... shit... no! Okay... okay... okay... okay, this is gonna be okay... Dude... buddy... Let's just think about this for a minute..." - Josh in The Psycho's trap.
    • "Bro! Bro, we've been through so much, come on... I don't wanna go out like this...! I know... I know we haven't been the best of friends lately... and I've been kinda messed up and everything... but I'm getting better, man... I swear!"
    • "I thought we were FRIENDS man! I thought we were FRIENDS why would you DO THIS!?" - before his death

    Chapter 5[]

    The character does not appear in this chapter.

    Chapter 6[]

    The character does not appear in this chapter.

    Chapter 7[]

    • "How does it feel? Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean, panicked? All those emotions that my sisters got to feel once one year ago! Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off! No! Nope! No no no! They're gone!"" - Josh after revealing himself as the Psycho.
    • "Hook, line and sinker, for every little stinker!"
    • "Oh sure. I'm totally just crying out for help. 'Help me! Oh help me! Help help!'"
    • "Revenge is the best medicine!"
    • "I'm a healer, man! I bring people together! Not like you assholes."
    • "I DID something- I MADE you believe in the world I created and I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit!"
    • "Right, right right right... still... can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around. Leave me a little wiggle room, huh." - after being tied up in the Shed.
    • "'I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you liked me...!'"
      • "Stop." - Chris
      • "You know what that sound is? It's the sound of never kissing Ashley, you pussy!"
      • "Stop!" - Chris
      • "Yeah, you know? You might as well let Ashley sleep with Mike, I mean, at least he's got some notches on his belt, you know? He'll treat her right! You're fucking pathetic, Christopher!" - Josh antagonizing Chris.
    • "Oh, you poor little piggies, can't even get their good cop bad cop routine to work. Leave it to the pros, bros."
    • "Oooh! Sleepover! C-can we order pizza?"

    Chapter 8[]

    The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

    Chapter 9[]

    The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

    Chapter 10[]

    • "No! You're dead! You're dead!!! Shut up! I don't take orders from you... you can't tell me what to do... okay... okay... I trust you... I trust you..." - Josh hallucinating in the mines.
    • "I didn't want you to die- I swear!!" - Josh expressing sorrow and guilt when being tormented by hallucinations of his sisters.
    • "NO! NO! Why are you doing this?! Leave me alone!! Why are you doing this?!"
    • "NO you're not real! No, you're not... Hannah!" - Josh recognizing his sister.

    Credits[]

    The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

    Gallery

    GallPic

    Click to view the gallery for Josh.


    Characters
    Protagonists
    Sam
    Sam
    Mike
    Mike
    Josh
    Josh
    Ashley
    Ashley
    Chris
    Chris
    Emily
    Emily
    Matt
    Matt
    Jessica
    Jessica
    Supporting Characters
    HannahTemplate
    Hannah
    BethMainPage
    Beth
    PsychoTemplate
    The Psycho
    BillyTemplate
    Wendigos
    HillTemplate
    Dr. Hill
    StrangerTemplate
    The Stranger
    WolfieTemplate
    Wolfie
    BirdTemplate
    Minor Characters
    1. Some patients with schizophrenia have elevated levels of dopamine, while others have lowered levels. Evidence is inconclusive either way. It is possible, though speculative, that schizophrenia is simply linked to abnormalities or imbalances of dopamine.
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