Gracing cinema screens across the country on 25 October, the horror-comedy movie Five Nights at Freddy’s brought cinemagoers into a world of deadly animatronics and missing children and the pending question of “where have all the children gone?”
Directed by Emma Tammi who worked with the famous production company Blumhouse, the cast and production and screenwriters were ecstatic to be working on the movie. Although the movie received mixed reviews online; 5.5/10 on IMDb and 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is easy for individuals to be overly critical. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes stated, “Most viewers will find this adaption muddled and undecidedly unscary” while the audience says, “Perfectly capturing the lore – and the spirit – it is a long-awaited treat for fans of the games”.
All a movie needs to survive and become a box-office hit is a good plot, an even better plot twist and actors who bring the story to life in a way we didn’t anticipate. Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games stars as our main role in this animatronic nightmare alongside Elizabeth Lail from YOU and Matthew Lillard best known for his role in Scream and the live-action Scooby-Doo.
The movie stems from the video game of the same title and is also compared to Willy’s Wonderland movie where there were killer animatronics possessed by cannibalistic serial killers with their target on a janitor played by Nicholas Cage. The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie introduces us to Mike, a security guard whose life is in unbalance; he is the guardian of his younger sister, he can’t hold a job and there’s the possibility he will lose custody of his little sister to his demanding auntie. In a desperate attempt to right his wrongs after getting fired, he takes a security job in an abandoned pizzeria called Freddy Fazbears’ Pizzeria. After a night visit from the local female sheriff, Vanessa, we are introduced to the film’s supposed villains; Chica, Bonnie, Mr Cupcake, Foxy and Freddy.
There are more sinister forces at play and puzzle pieces are shifted to find out what happened to the missing children who disappeared in the pizzeria and who is behind it all after bodies start appearing one by one during the night shifts. The movie may not be packed with wall-to-wall gore and bloodshed, but it’s generous in various kill scenes to satisfy the gore-lovers. The entire movie itself is an endearing tribute to game fans of Five Night’ at Freddy’s and offers people a memorable cinematic experience while watching their favourite game characters come to life on-screen.
The animatronics will make you fall in love from the start as they come alive and want you to join in their friendship with them, but a warning; do not become an animatronic like them. It doesn’t look to be comfortable in the transition.
Rachel Garvey is a Co-Editor for Features for Student Independent News for the year 2023/24. She works full-time, but dedicates her free time to writing and being involved in SIN. Rachel has been a contributor to SIN since 2017.