Five Facts by Greyson Blaauw

The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie was released a day early in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock on October 27. It is classified as a horror film, and is rated PG-13. The movie was long awaited by fans after being postponed more than once in 2020 for various reasons. It was directed, produced, and written by Emma Tammi; however it was co-produced and co-written by the creator of the original games and book series, Scott Cawthon. According to the NBC Insider, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie brought in $132.6 million globally, as well as being ranked the largest horror opening of 2023, overtaking The Nun II. 

The Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise started when the first game was released in August of 2014. There are a total of 13 games, with 8 being a part of the main series and the other 5 being counted as official spinoffs. There are also several books in the series, including a trilogy that fans have been comparing to the movie.

The beginning credits of the movie included 8-bit clips similar to the mini games found in the games themselves. It is unclear whether those clips were exactly the same from the minigames, but it gave fans the same nostalgia. The first scene of the movie shows the old security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, stuck in a terrifying machine called the “scooper,” recognizable to fans from the fifth game “Sister Location”. Not only was it shocking to see the scooper in the movie, it was a nice touch to see multiple aspects incorporated from more than just the original “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game. 

The movie itself is set in the year 2000 and centers around Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson, and his younger sister Abby, played by Piper Rubio. Mike has unresolved mental health issues as well as insane dreams due to the kidnapping of his younger brother, which puts him in a tough spot with few job opportunities. Mike reluctantly takes the night shift as a security guard at the abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a place the owner just cannot get rid of, filled with old animatronics and a messed up backstory.

Upon accepting his new job, Mike meets Officer Vanessa Monroe, played by Elizabeth Lail, as well as the infamous animatronics, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. As Mike continues to work there, his dreams become more intense and real about his younger brother’s kidnapping. In his dream scenes, viewers get some more information about the animatronics themselves as well as some more of the backstory behind the establishment. These scenes end up adding character to each animatronic, which really gave some depth to the well-loved animatronics. The dream scenes were a little mind bending to watch, and it really added to the storyline as a whole. The surround sound really helped get that point across.

As the movie progresses, Mike begins to learn more about the twisted backstory of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and his brother’s disappearance. The storyline develops in a fairly spaced out way, not too fast or too slow, and really helps to enhance what is truly going on throughout the movie. Filled with scenes ranging from a sweet and nice tone to murderous ones, the movie includes multiple aspects found throughout the entire Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise and brings it together with a new perspective. 

Rating: 5/5