authors note: Going into the movie, I have not played the video game, Five Nights at Freddy, nor am I familiar with the characters outside of a few videos from YouTubers, Markiplier and TimtheTatman, with the characters and franchise referenced or played. This is a raw review of the film.
Five Nights at Freddy’s – In Theaters and streaming on Peacock October 27
Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | #FiveNightsAtFreddys #FNAFMovie
Taking a beloved fan-favorite video game spectacle and transforming it to the big-screen will always be seen as a challenge, a challenge to match the fandom of the video game to movie theaters, in hopes that the sensation for the franchise remains the same. Blumhouse Productions takes on the challenge, and brings the beloved Five Nights at Freddy’s video game experience to audiences around the world.
The world of Freddy Fazbear and his fellow animatronics have already taken the world by storm with their janky memes, internet clips, and video game stardom, but producer Jason Blum is determined to match the fandom onto the big screen and through streaming services as well. Based on the video game expectations, the Five Nights at Freddy’s experience is built on horror, jump scares and intensity. After seeing the movie, expectations should be adjusted as it felt like the movie was turned into a moderate family experience over the game’s true identity. Again, players of the game would be underwhelmed, but as for movie-goers who haven’t heard of the FNAF fandom, the film was quite enjoyable.
Director Emma Tammi and Scott Cawthon have to use their creativity to adapt a video game, “survive the night, first person experience” into a motion picture filled with human protagonists that have to connect to the world of FNAF. The film follows Mike…. Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), emphasis on the pause in his name. That still is a mystery, post watch, for some reason? Mike is a recently fired security officer at the mall, and is met with Steve Raglan, the peculiar social worker who helps Mike get a job. Steve is played by beloved, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, Matthew Lillard. After an odd and unsettling conversation, Mike takes the job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, an abandoned family entertainment location. Mike’s younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), is a lonely girl who draws and plays with her imaginary friends. Abby brings the connection to the film and ultimately plays a crucial part.
This film is surprisingly slow until the final act; which helped a newcomer to the franchise figure out everything and create my own scenarios or reasonings. Audiences are introduced to the four mascots of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza — Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy. These animatronics are old, run down and somehow… alive. While sleeping on the job for the first few nights, Mike experiences some intense nightmares that bring into light the missing children from Mr. Freddy Fazbear’s dark past, which led to the closure of Freddy’s pizza.
A group of imbeciles decide to give Mike a little treat, and break in and trash the place. Ultimately, they succumb to Freddy and his friends, being slaughtered and killed in gruesome fashion. Mike stumbles upon a police officer, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), who is attempting to visit the strange pizzeria after the break in, and learns about Vanessa and her knowledge of this alarming place being alive. As midnight approaches, Mike is still awake watching the cameras. There is little to no horror or action going on. In the video game, this is where the fun should have begun. It is not until the end of the film where all the pieces are put together and Mike is faced head to head with Freddy and his friends, but it is not until Abby, who changes the narrative, uses her coloring crayons to draw a picture showing William Aferton (Matthew Lillard, the social worker who audiences were creeped out about) causing harm to the mascots, where they turn against their owner. After a short, happy ending, Abby insists that Mike takes her to visit her new friends, the monsters of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, one more time. Mike’s alarming response indicates there’s always another opportunity.
The film lacks the horror and intensity that fans of the franchise crave and hope for, but believers on a quest of family and intensity for the general audience. Fans of the franchise will enjoy the film, but don’t expect the horror and gore that the game brings. Mike, Abby and Vanessa are an incredible trio working to solve and uncover the truth of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the movie just falls flat on the horror aspect.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is rated PG-13 for intensity, language and disturbing images. Five Nights at Freddy’s is in theaters and streaming on Peacock today!
Ever since he was young, Matt was enamored and glued to anything Disney. From the movies, to Playhouse Disney, to frequent visits to Walt Disney World. Disney was Matt’s childhood. As he grew up, and his interests went from movie fandom, to park operations fandom, his desire for spread to Disney Parks and his urge to work for Disney. Since then, he has completed numerous Disney College Programs, and is currently a proud Cast Member at his favorite park, EPCOT, having been apart of the opening teams for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Creations Shop, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’s Treasures of Xandar.
