Five Nights at Freddy’s is an adaptation of the popular horror game of the same name. It features four animatronic characters that come to life at night Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Freddy. The movie delivers a compelling narrative that intertwines suspense, mystery, and horror. The movie does a great job of representing the original game’s atmosphere. The cast delivered performances that aligned with the horror and suspense themes. Each character’s role is very well-defined in the film, contributing to the plot and suspense of the movie.
How does the film connect to the games?
The franchise has a foundation of horror and ambiance. Due to this, it was surprising to see a PG-13 rating out of theaters. Critics assumed it would be tailored to older audiences. Yet, they decided to appeal to their most popular audience, teenagers from 13 to 17 years old. “In the United States, ( Five Nights at Freddy’s ) is rated PG-13, allowing those under the age of 13 to watch it when accompanied by an adult. This decision has left some fans, who had anticipated an unapologetic and intense scare-fest, concerned that the movie might not live up to their expectations,” as quoted by The Economic Times. Professional critics are expecting less from this film. Yet, the rating targets their primary audience of younger teens. Speaking from personal biases, of my age and knowledge of video games, the rating will help reach more fans who understand the franchise and lore of the series.
The narrative and plot of the movie remain parallel to the lore of the franchise. It varies in the interpretation of themes and characters. “Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa, a local police officer. Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare, ” summaries Universal Studios, the producing company of the movie.
What is the story of Five Nights at Freddy’s?
The storyline Universal Studios displays is similar to what is seen in the over-arcing narrative of the first game. “The player controls Mike Schmidt, a night security guard for the family pizza restaurant Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The player must complete their shift from midnight to 6:00 a.m. without being caught by the homicidal animatronic characters that wander the pizzeria at night,” according to the Five Nights at Freddy’s Wikipedia page.
The most notable part of the film was the puppeteering that took place to move such hefty animatronic suits throughout the entire film. “Most stunts are robotic versions of the characters or with humans inside the body suit. For all of the characters, multiple puppeteers were operating at all times on them,” explains the director of the Five Nights at Freddy’s film, Emma Tammi. “It was this huge team collaboration alongside me as I was directing actors in the scenes if they were in the same scenes as the animatronics. So that was like a whole other muscle to start flexing. But it felt so fun and collaborative and something I really would enjoy doing again down the line,” as according to NBC Insider. They used a larger company to create these larger animatronics, “turning to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in Burbank, California to figure out how to translate the now famous video game characters into menacing, physical adversaries for security guard.”
Was the movie successful?
Overall, the movie did well in theaters and broke records on the first opening day. The movie took audiences by storm and had a large uproar of appreciation. “The latest horror offering from Universal and Blumhouse opened to a record-smashing $78 million, despite debuting simultaneously on sister streaming service Peacock. It started with a monstrous Friday haul of $39.5 million, including $10.3 million in Thursday previews,” mentions Hollywood Reporter. The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie had a very cultural impact on the dedicated fans of the franchise. The box office demonstrates the pure dedication that fans have to the series. The detailed puppeteering and introspective lore brought the series to life in theaters. The horror, thrill, and mystery of the series and film make a watch worthwhile.
