Following a nearly two year content hiatus, the infamous Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is back in the spotlight in the premiere of its first movie on Oct. 27. With series creator Scott Cawthon on board with Blumhouse Studios, anticipated YouTuber cameos, and an exciting plot, it successfully drummed up hype for its opening weekend. Despite this highly anticipated release, audiences walked away unsatisfied with the film’s ridiculous writing. With part two already confirmed, it is clear the FNAF movie adaptations are just the latest Blumhouse cash grab.
The plot follows a security guard, Mike (Josh Hutcherson), who works night shifts at the dilapidated Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza while his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), is forced to tag along. But, they discover the animatronics within the restaurant are haunted with souls of missing children, soon realizing the mascots have evil schemes.
Historically, FNAF has been known for its expansive, clue-based lore. The movie diverges from this concept and instead sets its plot through forced story beats that only loosely connect it to the franchise’s events. More specifically, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), a police officer, shares the name of a major character from FNAF’s most recent game, but shares little to no connection to her video game counterpart. She is also an important character to the movie which only puts more attention on the disconnect between the writing and the series itself.
Despite the grave plot, the movie’s tone is completely jumbled. Some of its best moments are those written with a horror-based direction in mind, but most scenes feel out of place for the genre, most egregiously shown when the protagonists and animatronics dance and build a furniture fort in the pizzeria’s dining room. This is one of the many scenes that misinterpret the spirit of the series, ruining the plot’s stakes and weakening its already dull third act, where the majority of action takes place.
However, not everything in the film is a nightmare. The production quality, backed by renowned practical effects company Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, is immaculate and many shots play out just as they would in the games. The color grading in Mike’s dreams and the pizzeria is artfully done, taking the film much further than its writing. Set designers painstakingly included as many series-relevant details in their sets as possible and showed genuine interest in the series throughout production. In terms of acting, Hutcherson and Lail manage to steal the show, bringing their characters to life even with the little direction their scripts provide.
In spite of its debut 26% Rotten Tomatoes rating, the movie grossed $130 million during opening weekend. Fans, excited by new content in the near-decade long series, still loved the movie and are anxiously awaiting the sequel. Though its writing and composition fall flat, the adaptation for such a beloved series is sure to be a fun night out with friends to create memories that will always come back.
