Horror Frights and Game Bytes// A movie theater screen lights up with the bold words, “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” The film is available to watch in movie theaters and on Peacock with a premium subscription. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Guilliano).
Five Nights at Freddy’s: A Blockbuster Hit and Gift to the Fans
by Brianna Gracia
This article features potential spoilers for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie.
In 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s, the game about a knock-off Chuck-E-Cheese and its haunted animatronic band, was on the radar of every gamer, and it took the internet by storm. The fandom grew rapidly in size, because there’s nothing people loved more than pixelated graphics, confusing, boundless lore, and evil robots with goofy names. But after game releases began to dwindle, it was thought the game would become irrelevant, like most internet fads.
Then, Scott Cawthon, the creator of the game, had one more bright idea.
The beloved horror game was announced to be made into a blockbuster movie in 2015. Fans went feral, awaiting the day they’d be able to see Freddy Fazbear and the gang take to the big screen. But, as time itself would have it, the film adaptation would not be put into work until 2023 and wasn’t released to theaters until October 27, 2023.
Despite the time jump, the movie hasn’t lost relevancy, as the fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s are ever loyal. Viewers showed up in costumes dedicated to the franchise, ready to make it the best experience of their lives.
“Being in line and having little conversation with strangers talking about how hyped they were or what knowledge they had with FNAF was very cool,” said senior Eric Esquivel. “I loved everything about the movie, every aspect, and every detail.”
Critics didn’t receive this movie politely. On Rotten Tomatoes, the current rating after the box-office weekend is 38%. Loyal fandom members of FNAF, though, are saying the film is made by the fans for the fans, granting plenty of fan service, both staying loyal to the lore and featuring a few welcomed cameos, including Matthew Patrick (host of YT Channel Game Theory) and CoryxKenshin (Youtuber).
“I believe that the movie successfully delivered a good amount of fan service,” said junior Vincent Guilliano. “The cameos as well as iconic scenes were amazing to see on the big screen. I do believe this is a movie made for the fans of the franchise, but that doesn’t mean that people simply wanting to watch a good movie didn’t enjoy it.”
With the end credits ending with a creepy voice saying “Come find me,” fans have been left speculating if there will be a sequel to follow. Reports have already appeared on the internet of more to come. If a sequel is to come, will it follow the plot of the games, or continue with Mike and Abby’s story? Until there is certain confirmation, no one can be sure.
Catch the FNAF movie in theaters for the full experience. Freddy Fazbear and the crew can’t wait to meet you.
