In 2014, an indie game creator released a game featuring a night guard escaping death from the hands of possessed animatronics. Nearly 10 years later, the franchise has grown to over 10 games along with countless novels and short stories, and a fandom across the globe. However, in 2023, the fans got something even more exciting. The franchise was given a movie.
Five Nights at Freddy’s, a point-and-click style game by Scott Cawthon, didn’t take long to rise to fame. A horror game was quite different from Cawthon’s usual games, he had started with games with more biblical tones. But, after his recent game was a failure due to the characters being described as too animatronic-like, he decided to take that critique and turn it into something new.
The game became a big hit when Markiplier, a notable gaming YouTuber, published a playthrough of the game. His recognition of the game allowed it to skyrocket in plays, allowing Cawthon to publish the game to more accessible platforms such as Steam. Since then, he has created many games to add to the storyline but later handed over game creation rights to the videogame company Steel Wool.
His most recent and final Five Nights at Freddy’s project was the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. A highly anticipated film, it was released a day early, in typical Cawthon fashion. Cawthon was known for releasing games long before his release date, constantly catching players off guard. The movie was released in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock on October 26.
Movie reviews from critics leading up to the release were less than positive. The movie won a whopping 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, a source for critics to publish movie reviews and often regarded as an accurate gauge for how well the movie will do with audiences. Unfortunately, this is not how it turned out. The movie, so laced with easter eggs and references, was confusing to anyone not well-versed in theories and stories. The audience score instantly skyrocketed, settling at an 89% by the end of its first weekend in the box office.
The movie was perfect for anyone who calls themself a Five Nights at Freddy’s fan. It follows a 20-something-year-old Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), who was left in charge of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). They reside in a modest house in the suburbs and live meagerly. Mike is in the midst of a custody war with his aunt, Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson), who has declared him an unfit guardian. She has employed Max (Kat Connor Sterling), who babysits Abby while Mike is at work, to catch anything that might be used as evidence that he neglects or otherwise endangers Abby. Meanwhile, Mike has been laid off yet again and goes to Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard) for help. He gives him the chance to work as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, which initially Mike refuses but gives in to support Abby. He quickly finds out, and with the help of Vanessa, a police officer (Elizabeth Lail), he finds out that something is wrong with the animatronics. Mixed with battles between nightmares about the kidnapping of his younger brother, Garret, the movie is full of turmoil and twists. There are easter eggs everywhere, and plenty of Youtube star cameos.
This is a good start to the end of Scott Cawthon’s involvement in the franchise. Matthew Lillard has announced that there will be at least two more movies in the franchise, with the next one being a sequel. The movies also more closely parallel the books, not the games. That certainly means that anyone who doesn’t fully verse themself in the ‘lore’ may not understand the movie. Fortunately, it’s easy to catch up on. There are many synopses online.
With the mixture of a great cast, a wonderful set and character design, and an amazingly composed soundtrack, the movie was an exciting addition to the large cast of Five Nights at Freddy’s cast. The movie perfectly sets itself up for a sequel, and is a wonderful watch. While it may have disappointed those who were looking for horror, there are still plenty of scares for those who want them, while still being fit for its PG-13 rating.
