“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is an indie horror game in which the player is a security guard working the night shift for five nights inside a Pizzeria while animatronic animals try to kill the player. Scott Cawthon created 4 FNAF games from 2014 to 2015, these games were filled with lore alongside simple yet captivating gameplay in each game, which created more popularity in the FNAF franchise. The popularity of these games led to the first announcement of a movie by Warner Brothers in late 2015, but the film rights eventually went to Blumhouse in early 2017. After 3 different screenplays, one was finally chosen for the movie, and filming began in February 2023.

The movie follows Mike Schmidt, played by Josh Hutcherson, who gets a job at an abandoned Pizzaria. At a very young age, Mike watched his brother get kidnapped, every night he dreamed the same dream in an attempt to remember the face of the man who took his brother. Not wanting to lose another family member, Mike gets the job to maintain custody of his sister, Abby, played by Piper Rubio. Abby is a very young girl who loves to draw and thinks the world of her brother. Mike quickly learns about the history of Freddy from local cop Vanessa, played by Elizabeth Lail. As Mike discovers more about the Pizzaria, he learns his dreams are amplified when he sleeps at Freddy’s. Throughout the movie the animatronic Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy are only shown in glimpses until Mike’s Aunt Jan, played by Mary Stuart Masterson, hires people to vandalize the pizzeria, this moment is when the animatronics are shown to their fullest. One of the people sent to vandalize the pizzeria was Abby’s Babysitter. After not answering Mikes’s calls, he takes Abby to work where the Animatronics immediately show interest in her. Shortly, Mike is manipulated in his dreams to “give” Abby to the animatronics, in return, they’d reveal the identity of his brother’s kidnapper. After escaping the clutches of the animatronics Mike finally learns the true history of Freddy’s and prepares to save Abby from the animatronics who intend on making her “like them”. The showdown is between The animatronics against Mike, this exchange also introduces the true villain, The Yellow Rabbit, the mastermind behind everything in the movie.

One of the best aspects of the FNAF movie is its design and look, the pizzeria was built from the ground up and designed for weeks and months on end, and the final result is an amazing location that perfectly captures the 80s. There are also a lot of smaller design details that show the dedication of the team behind the movie, the office Mike works in is almost 1 to 1 with the games design-wise. The pizzeria itself not only captures the 80s but also is designed the exact way as the games. Carpets, posters, and tablecloths are all similar to the games; everything is altered enough that it gives a sense of familiarity while also introducing a completely new location. The animatronics also look great, with a fuzzy and cuddly look. These animatronics were 100% practical and were created by The Jim Henson company, which has created many iconic creatures for franchises like The Dark Crystal and Muppets. There were 3 types of suits, some were fully animatronic, others were controlled by puppeteers, and some were played by a person inside the suit. Each of these was used to give the animatronics more personality in their movement, keeping the robotic look while also making them more than just robots. All these styles of filming with the suits came together to create a perfect look for the animatronics.

The movie excels at exploring characters, across the games there are very few characters in the games and fewer are explored character-wise, all characters in the movie are either altered or completely rewritten for a new story. Characters like Vanessa and Mike are completely different from their video game counterparts. The story includes the major aspects from the first game while having other story beats or references throughout different parts of the game series. The use of character is one of the best aspects, Mike is a great character to follow, the performance behind the character is also great, and the entire movie makes his struggles with money, family, and the animatronic make him a sympathetic character, and an amazing protagonist. The antagonist is also another great addition despite his very short screen time. Most of his dark deeds have already happened, his only role in the story is to continue hiding the dark truth that is quickly revealed to Mike.

An accompanying factor to the characters is the usage of music, the entire movie has one song constantly being played, “Talking in Your Sleep” by The Romantics, the song contains lyrics such as “I can hear the things that you’re dreaming about” and “I can hear the secrets that you keep when you’re talking in your sleep”. This song is used multiple times each being more important than the last and each time revolving around Mike. The soundtrack also introduces a lot of composed music, some being renditions of the video game themes while others being original tracks, such as the opening credits, a song sung by children simply titled “Five Nights At Freddy’s”. The entire soundtrack is great and gives a lot of eeriness to scenes or creates joy in others, it’s a perfect bag of music and fits every scene wonderfully. The cinematography is also incredible, many scenes take place in Mikes’s dreams and every time they are revisited, the scene is reshot, to create a feeling of uneasiness, or desperation, it reflects Mikes’s emotions without making it obvious. The shots of horror are also well captured as they depict the animatronics as vicious killers on the other hand it also displays them as children deep down in their core who get manipulated by the Yellow Rabbit.

While there are a lot of great parts of the movie, there are a handful of problems, the editing and pacing of scenes are very odd, some scenes will end abruptly, it doesn’t occur often however it is very distracting when it does. Another issue is tone, many scenes are put together; however, a common theme is the tonal whiplash throughout them all. For example, one scene has a montage of characters building a fort, and the following scene shows Mike and Abby talking about kids who were murdered and stuffed inside suits. Similarly to the pacing and editing, the tone issue isn’t prevalent throughout the whole movie. While the previous issues are minute, it’s nothing compared to the greatest problem in the movie. While the cinematography and music create an eerie vibe that’s perfect for a horror movie, the movie lacks a lot of the horror elements. While the movie contains a handful of genuinely eerie scenes, they are unfortunately too few and far between, leaving the audience wanting more. FNAF is firmly rooted in the horror genre and produced by Blumhouse, known for their work on ‘Halloween (2018)’ and ‘Sinister,’ it’s disappointing that the horror aspect was not pushed to its fullest. Even though FNAF carries a PG-13 rating, it’s worth noting that many horror films have shown that lower age ratings can still deliver intense and well-crafted horror experiences.

FNAF does display issues, yet it undeniably succeeds as an adaptation of the games while creating its own unique identity. As the first chapter in a planned trilogy of FNAF films, this movie provides valuable insight for the studio, which potentially could pave the way for even better future adaptations and a more contented audience. FNAF grabs casual horror enthusiasts and devoted game fans, while simultaneously introducing the franchise to new audiences