A highly anticipated film about demonic animatronics has taken the video game community and various social media platforms by storm. The Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) film, adapted from the popular video game franchise from which it derives its name, tells the familiar story of an unsettling shift at the infamous Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
Released October 27 in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock, FNAF’s stars notable actors Josh Hutcherson of The Hunger Games series and Matthew Lillard of cult-classic Scooby-Doo. The film follows Mike Schmidt, played by Hutcherson, who takes a job at Freddy’s Pizzeria as a night shift security guard and is responsible for keeping watch of the pizzeria’s animatronic figures.
Motivated to maintain his job due to a costly custody battle over his younger sister, Schmidt is left with no choice but to bear the work, even when he realizes the position comes with abnormal conditions — living animatronics who terrorize the pizzeria by night. He is forced to undergo the wrath of Lillard’s William Afton, the man behind the slaughter in the original FNAF games.
The film’s attempt to extend the franchise’s sense of terror to a movie screen has fallen flat, despite massive anticipation from fans and critics. The vast majority of die-hard fans of the original game have agreed that the movie fails to incorporate enough lore or references to the game. Movie critic Clarisse Loughrey speaks to the causes of the film’s disconnection with the FNAF fanbase, asserting that “what should’ve been an intricate, twisted and absurd treat is demoted to generic horror movie sludge.” Many fans also complain that the movie fails to take advantage of numerous opportunities for lore development and Easter eggs.
Boston Latin School student and longtime FNAF fan Sam Martin (IV) has mixed feelings about the movie. “[It was] really good, but not really connected with the games and the books,” Martin states. “[I was] not really scared, but that was fine.” Regardless of its hiccups, Martin enjoyed the movie overall and applauded Hutcherson’s emotional and involved acting.
Five Nights at Freddy’s has been incredibly successful regardless of the mixed reviews from critics and fans, grossing over 239.1 million dollars worldwide in the box office and becoming the most-streamed film on Peacock almost instantly. The FNAF team has yet to announce a sequel, but a second movie appears imminent — director Emma Tammi sees a sequel as an opportunity to aid in filling the film’s missing links. Considering Lillard’s three-movie deal with NBC and the plot’s abundant loose ends, the possibility of a sequel also remains high.
Catch Freddy and the gang on Peacock, and be on the lookout for a possible sequel announcement!