On August 8, 2014, a small indie creator by the name of Scott Cawthon created a video game based on his nightmares in real life (IRL): soon, the product became the most iconic game in the horror franchise. 

At its time of release, the gameplay was unique, the player is placed in an office with security cameras to watch over animatronics as they roam around the Pizzeria. The player had to constantly check the animatronics’ movements and shut the door on them if they got too close to the doors protecting the player from the animatronics. The player has to survive until 6 a.m. to achieve victory for that night.

As the evenings go on, the game becomes more difficult, adding new NPCs to haunt the players’ experience. Although the 2023 edition is just the first game, as the other 5 games have unique gameplay never to be seen before. 

Over the last nine years, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (“FNAF”) series made a name for itself while growing in popularity. “FNAF” became a childhood favorite for many, despite being rated for mature adults only. The beloved franchise is one of the most popular games of all time, and led to many fan-created games that are just as enjoyable. 

Love it or hate it, denying that “FNAF” did not change the horror genre’s industry is absolutely absurd.

Multi-millionaire and “FNAF” creator Scott Cawthon’s game development came to an end in mid-2021 after receiving backlash and threats towards his family; he then ceased to pursue future “FNAF” games. Despite not making additional games for the “FNAF” series, Cawthon still owns the franchise and allows other companies to use his characters for their own benefit.

Because of the availability to use Scott Cawthon’s work  Blumhouse Productions  (a movie studio) took its chance to create a movie that fans have been desiring for years: on May 17, 2023, Blumhouse Productions released a teaser for a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie that quickly received millions of views on its first day of release. Up until now, word of “FNAF” movie is still spreading, especially on social media. 

Interestingly, Blumhouse Productions, the studio who created “M3gan”, made the “horror” former movie PG 13+, meaning there were no brutal scenes – the lack thereof could suggest the downfall of the horror genre, as those movies typically contain killings and blood. Because of Blumhouse’s reputation for creating PG 13+ movies, fans of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” knew to say goodbye to any gory scenes. This could be an arguable choice, as the “FNAF” games are as brutal as they get, with the death scenes that seem derived from nightmares: for example, seeing the night guard (playable character) with his eyeballs popping out of his suit as he is stuffed in by the animatronics. 

There is a reason the game is only for those aged 16+. Even with a PG 13+ rating slapped onto it, one must wonder if the gore of “FNAF” has been ruined?

Being a big fan over the years, the “FNAF” franchise has been a big hit ever since childhood; many, this reporter included, have loved the series for ages. Watching many YouTubers playing the “FNAF” games and or fan games must be one of the best times of any current high schooler’s younger years. It is a feeling that cannot be brought back. Because of these feelings, many have high hopes for the movie. The million-dollar question here is, was the movie worth its pretty dime?

The answer is maybe.

A key detail to making a fan-beloved game franchise into a movie is adding Easter eggs and fanservice. Easter eggs may not seem that big of a deal, but in reality, they can drastically change how a movie is viewed and can show how much the creators/writers of the movie enjoyed the production of the movie. Those who were big “FNAF” fans growing up will appreciate seeing details in-game that could be easy/hard to recognize – and there is a mix. 

Of course, those who have not caught up with the games in some time may think those details just seem like ordinary movie props – a reasonable assumption. But hey, who does not want to see a beloved cameo of a “FNAF” player?  Coryxkenshin, a famous YouTuber with a whopping 17.3M subscribers, and a player of the “FNAF” series since the first game’s release, took on a role in the movie as a taxi driver. A video uploaded to his channel features him reacting to himself in the movie – which is so Coryxkenshin. 

The fan service on the movie is cooked up to perfection. Not only was Cory in the movie, but in the back of one of the scenes, the watcher can detect a board named “Employee of the Month” which included many YouTubers such as 8-bit Ryan, Matpat (Game Theory), Baz, etc. Those who watched any of these content creators play the game growing up are in for a treat, even if it is small.

Although the movie’s premise may be loved by fans, the ending was quite a letdown. Throughout the movie, William Afton, or the “Purple Guy” is shown as a mysterious man whose plans are uncertain; the film ruined his whole get-up because his identity is exposed early on, eliminating the mysterious vibe he was known for. As shown in the trailer, Afton is Spring trap the cause behind the missing children and the sole reason the animatronics in the movie are possessed. Even while knowing all of this information, the watcher will barely see these pivotal characters, as 80% of the movie follows the main character, Mike, as he is trying to find out who took his brother away from him 12 years ago. This plot line is peculiar, as the original game has nothing to do with any of the above. Only near the end of the film does Mike learn the pizzeria’s mysteries, and the complaint here is that the ending feels a bit too rushed – especially with the appearance of Spring Trap only arriving at the end of the movie, thereby ruining the flow of the story, as he is allegedly the main villain of the story.

However, where the film does stand up is in the area of storytelling: in the original games, the story is not really being told to the player. The player has to either look up background information or try to figure out where the story is headed through secrets and/or from the phone guy (the tutorial guide who gives tips and tricks). Players can easily miss the storytelling aspects of the game if they only want to get immersed in its horror aspects. 

Something the movie was only able to do well was tell the story by giving perspectives of other characters, not just one single person. Showing the perspective of the night guard’s daughter, Abby, and the other night guard, Elizabeth was valuable in providing a more complete picture of the character’s motivations and emotions. Only showing the plot through Mike’s perspective would have worsened the story/flow of the movie 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukg77UNAm74

One thing to note is that the plot of the movie is not canon to the games, ultimately making its own story, though it still has the same characters, scenery, and horror that the games have – for the most part.

In the end, was the highly anticipated movie of the year a flop? Heck no, this movie has made a huge name for itself even before its release, and now, the film is trending over social media apps. Even the PG 13+ rating did not fail to get rid of the major horror parts of the game: they were not scary, by any means, but fit well with the plot, which was more well-rounded than that of the games. The creators brought more life to the animatronics  – who are really just kids – and characters, which offered more depth to those who love the “FNAF” franchise

Give those fuzzy friends a chance: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is now available in theaters and on Peacock for those with a subscription.