The Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie is finally out and fans have a lot to say.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is a video game created by Scott Cawthon in 2014 that involves a security guard fighting off evil animatronics at a family pizza restaurant, “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza”. These animatronics are animals and have names. There is a purple bunny named Bonnie, a yellow chick named Chica, a brown bear named Freddy and a fox named Foxy. The game begins with the player starting a new security guard job at this pizza franchise. This franchise is almost like a modern day Chuck E. Cheese, it is meant for children’s parties. Through the night shift, you have to frequently flip through security cameras to check for any animatronics in the rooms/halls. When you see them close, you have to protect yourself by closing vents and doors before they can get to your office. That’s only if you have enough power, without power you cannot shut entrances. Every night shift the game gets more difficult. The final night is where you discover the whole backstory of the animatronics based on clues. The FNAF series is composed of over eight different games, with each giving more and more clues to why the animatronics come alive at night. 

Many popular Youtube creators like Markiplier, Coryxkenshin, and Pewdiepie, create content based on the FNAF game. However, this was just the start of fans being upset with the movie. Fans were expecting the infamous Markiplier to appear in the FNAF movie due to him being a staple to the video game’s popularity. Yet, the main reason why fans were upset at the outcome of the movie was because it doesn’t follow the lore around the actual FNAF game.

Short Summary of The Movie

The movie is based on a lower class man named Mike, that is in and out of jobs, who is raising his sister. Mike loses his job once again because of beating up a father who he confused for being a kidnapper. He then has to contact the career counselor for a fresh start. He gets an offer of working the night shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. At first he doesn’t accept this offer but when social services threaten to take Abby (his little sister) away he rethinks his decision. Mike already has sleep troubles, so when one night he falls asleep on the job he experiences weird dreams. The dreams consist of him reliving the exact moment his brother was kidnapped. 

While working Mike meets a police officer (Vanessa), who shows him the real truth behind the closing of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. 

Ultimately, he keeps experiencing these dreams and they grow into him meeting children who are actually behind the mask of the animatronics. When he tries and confronts these children he ends up physically wounded outside of the dream. The animatronics in the pizza place eventually come to life and affect Mike’s life, especially when it comes to his sister. At first it was an innocent time but that doesn’t last for long. The children behind the mask have an offer for Mike in return for finding where his little brother went. This offer turns the innocent fun time into an evil night shift. 

Review

Personally, I loved the movie even though it didn’t follow the backstory of the video game. It was the perfect amount of thrill mixed with horror. I was expecting more jumpscares, but I feel that the thrill made up for it. The implementation of some Youtube gamers who play FNAF games was really cool. I think that part of the movie really lit up the crowd at the theater and added a connection level with everybody who has grown up with this video game franchise. Overall, I recommend the movie and I am excited to see the sequel that will hopefully be released sooner or later.