Following the game’s release on Aug. 8, 2014, the iconic video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” took the world by storm. After nine adaptations of the original video game, on Oct. 27, 2023, the official film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” showed on big screens and the streaming service “Peacock.” “Five Nights at Freddy’s” serves as a love letter to fans who contributed to bringing the franchise to life while simultaneously playing as a sentimental family-driven story and a gruesome horror film.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” opens by illustrating the difficulty of Mike Schmidt’s (Josh Hutcherson) attempt to sustain a job after being fired for falsely assaulting a father. Mike himself struggles to be a father figure to his ten-year-old sister Abbey (Piper Rubio). Unable to maintain a stable living situation, Mike’s final resort, given to him by his suspicious career counselor, Steve Ralagan (Mathew Lillard), is to work as an overnight security guard at the closed down Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria. Hesitant due to his insomnia and trauma of having been responsible for his younger brother Garret’s (Lucas Grant) unfortunate kidnapping, Mike caves and takes the night shift for Abbey’s well-being.
Another factor for Mike’s decision to take the job is his Aunt Jane (Kat Conner Sterling), who attempts to take custody of Abbey throughout the film. Although Mike and Abbey’s relationship is not the best, the film stirs empathy within both siblings, causing for a wholesome and full circle moment.
Throughout Mike’s night shifts, vivid nightmares of his brother’s kidnapping continue to occur while becoming more and more realistic. After several dreams, Mike begins to realize there are children in his dreams who resemble the animatronics he looks after, alluding that there is more than what meets the eye to the cuddly and terrifying animatronics. For the audience, the mystery behind who took Garret pays homage to the fun detective aspect that popularized the games, allowing the viewer to piece together the lore.
After every “Five Nights At Freddy’s” installment, fans swarmed the internet to discuss how each video game fit into the game’s lore. Although tweaked slightly, the film follows similar aspects of the original source material. If already familiar with the tale, the movie serves as an almost perfect game-to-film adaptation. Seeing the film with no knowledge of the franchises’ story, however, diminishes the full experience. The movie may come across as silly and absurd to those unfamiliar with the world of “Five Nights At Freddy’s.”
The film does an excellent job providing fanfare to those who helped build the franchise the world adores today. Sprinkled throughout the movie are several callbacks to the game’s mechanics. Frame by frame reenactments plus the jumpscares and sounds of the original source material’s substance contribute to the nostalgia of the film.
Additionally, the film includes cameos from creators who helped popularize the video game. African-American influencer Cory DeVante Williams, better known as “CoryxKenshin,” plays the role of a taxi driver in the later half of the film. Another surprise cameo included earlier in the film from content creator “MatPat” will surely give longtime fans a rush of satisfaction and excitement that has been long overdue.
The film’s main stars (the animatronics) serve the duality of being a fun and cuddly crew while also being homicidal and terrifying supernatural beings. Although what may be seen as campy at times, the animatronics Chica (the duck), Foxy (the fox), Bonnie (the bunny) and Freddy (the bear) share loving moments with Abbey. The animatronics are also responsible for the gut wrenching deaths seen throughout the movie.
“Five Nights At Freddy’s” does an excellent job in raising the stakes of the film, causing for an anxiety-inducing watch and a satisfying conclusion to the film’s mystery. The built relationships within the main characters tug on the viewers heartstrings, causing for a warming and scary movie that will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Although bashed and criticized by film critics, the “Five Nights At Freddy’s” film resonates well among those who it was intended for: the fans.