Five Nights At Freddy's: More plot, less scares
On August 8th, 2014, independent game developer Scott Cawthon released a point-and-click survival horror game called Five Nights at Freddy's following criticism of one of his prior games being "unintentionally scary." The game focused on a late night security guard trying to survive five six-hour shifts at a rundown family entertainment center while it's animatronic characters trying to break into the his office. After several high-profile youtubers started playing the game, it became an overnight internet sensation thanks to it's iconic animatronics, plentiful jumpscares and increasingly dark lore. In the years that followed, Five Nights at Freddy's evolved into a multimedia franchise that includes eight additional games, several fan-made games, tons of merchandise, and an ongoing book series.
Naturally, the film industry decided to cash in on the franchise's popularity. However, adapting the series to film proved to be more complicated than anticipated. Warner Bros. originally held the film rights in 2015 but they were eventually passed down to Blumhouse Productions in 2017. In the years that followed, the film faced several production issues including a script rewrite and changing directors twice before finally settling on Emma Tammi in October 2022 who cowrote the script with Seth Cuddeback and Cawthon (who coproduced the film with Jason Blum).
The story follows struggling security guard Mike Schmidt, played by Josh Hutcherson, as he accepts a security job at the abandoned Freddy Fazbear's Pizza to maintain custody of his little sister Abby, played by Piper Rubio. However, as the nights progress and he uncovers the restaurant's nightmarish past, Schmidt realizes that this job is more dangerous than he thought.
As an amateur fan of the series, having played the first three games, and read the lore online, I felt that this movie delivered and underwhelmed at the same time. The accuracy to the source material is evident in several ways such as the animatronics, soundtrack and restaurant set pieces, but it's obvious that the movie is trying to be multiple things except what it wants to be.
The tone is very difficult to discern as it constantly shifts between horror, comedy and drama without staying on either for more than several minutes. The film's focus on dramatic and heartwarming moments also inhibits several of the franchise's core elements resulting in cheap, predictable scares that are forbidden from realizing their true potential. A point further supported by the film's PG-13 rating.
Hutcherson gives a great performance as Schmidt and it's very easy to sympathize with him. He's a struggling man who’s juggling multiple responsibilities and dealing with personal issues while trying his hardest to do right by his sister. Even when others tell him he should give up, he keeps going because he loves her and they're the only family they have left. Despite being well written and performed, Schmidt's story feels out of place and would've done better in a different movie.
The animatronics are considered by many to be the heart of the franchise and while their presence in the film is strong, their screentime, compared to Schmidt's, is minimal. As a result, the audience doesn't get enough time to truly appreciate the incredible work done by Jim Henson's Creature Shop or their actors' robotic yet human performances. Some may be satisfied with what they got, but I personally felt that they deserved some more time in the spotlight.
Five Nights At Freddy's will undoubtedly please fans of varying degrees, but as a movie, it lacks in certain crucial areas. Despite having multiple strengths, the movie struggles to find it's voice resulting in a disappointing yet exciting experience. Whether you're a longtime fan or an average moviegoer, I strongly recommend checking it out at least once. Just remember, they always come back.
