After nearly a decade, the movie adaptation for the hit game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has arrived in theaters, and it is captivating gamers and horror fans alike.
Created by Scott Cawthon, “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” often abbreviated as “FNAF,” is a horror-themed game that revolves around the player taking on the role of a night security guard at a fictional children’s restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The gameplay involves the player monitoring security cameras and using various tools to defend themselves against the animatronics that roam the restaurant at night.
The movie follows an incident where the protagonist, Mike Schmidt, mistakenly attacks a father, whom he thought was a kidnapper. After consequently getting fired, Mike is instructed to meet with career advisor Steve Raglan. Steve presents Mike with an opportunity to work as a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a previously alive yet now deserted family arcade.
Entering the theater as a “FNAF” fan, I also wanted to take this movie in as a horror fan, which made the movie a lot more enjoyable. As a PG-13 movie, the film utilizes tension and jump scares rather than relying on excessive gore or violence, which was underwhelming for the “FNAF” fanbase. Personally, I believe this movie would have succeeded, both in rating and revenue, if it had been rated R.
Though there was minimal gore, the animatronics were by far my favorite aspect of the movie. The appearances of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy were all perfectly derived from the game. Considering they were all full-body suits, excluding Foxy (a real life animatronic), the actors effortlessly mimicked the movements of how the animatronics would move.
The acting from the cast was absolutely phenomenal. Josh Hutcherson, who played Mike, did a spectacular job at portraying his role. His constant bloodshot eyes, fidgeting movements, and suffrage from PTSD adds substantial eeriness to the already petrifying tone.
Though William Afton was only on screen for approximately three minutes, Matthew Lillard really delivered his role by portraying the psychotic madman Afton is, leaving the audience wanting more of him.
Emma Tammi, the director of the film, has blessed us by taking this simple yet complex game and putting it on the big screen. From the plot, to the effects, to the animatronics themselves, Tammi and the production crew did an amazing job at bringing our childhood nightmares to life.
From a horror fan’s view, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was an amazing film, leaving so much potential on the table for future projects. On the contrary, as a big fan of the video games and lore, the film wasted many opportunities to bring aspects of the game to life. But, if you loved the film, as a horror or game fan, and you desire more, remember the line: “I always come back.”
