After 9 years since the release of the first Five Night’s at Freddy’s game, the games’ creator Scott Cawthorn has finally done it. Some of the beloved animatronics of the video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s (lovingly called FNAF by fans) has now made an admittedly adorable appearance in the 2023 movie Five Night’s at Freddy’s.
There are some of those spoiler-things below!
The cinema was almost full. People had various memorabilia they’d collected over the years, from an old looking Cupcake plushie to a decked-out denim jacket covered in FNAF iron-on badges. The atmosphere was buzzing, and thank the cinema gods, we didn’t have any cinema goers disrupt the viewing.
Josh Hutcherson was the star of the movie, playing the part of desperate security guard Mike Schmidt. Mike is haunted by the memory of his brother, Garrett, getting kidnapped, and spends his evenings trying to get himself into a dream state where he can try to work out who took his brother.
Mike’s presence really picks up the pace of the movie, moving it forward through a series of gruesome scenes, a battle for custody, and the not-so-surprising-for-FNAF-fans reveal that the animatronics were being controlled by the classic ‘Purple Guy’, aka William Afton, aka Steve Raglan, aka the “I always come back” guy. I felt like Josh’s performance made the otherwise dull moments (looking at you Aunt Jane) of the film gripping, with his ability to portray the desperation, grief, and love of a brother.
What I liked
The animatronics were amazing. They elicited a simultaneous “aww” from the audience, especially main bear Freddy Fazbear. It was clear why the four animatronics would have both excited and terrified people in the FNAF world. Why wouldn’t you like the huggable bear, rabbit, fox, and chicken AND die internally if you heard their reverberating stomping approaching you whilst the lights flickered? Their interactions with Abigail, Mike’s younger sister, are wholesome. For a moment, you're convinced they could never have a murderous secret and believe that all they want is a new friend. This is what makes the reality that the not-so-cuddly FNAF friends are controlled by William Afton, that he has some kind of hold on them even in death, so tragic.
The set design of the classic Five Night’s at Freddy’s building was a perfect call back to the first FNAF game that started the whole franchise. The posters, the classic desk fan, the arcade machines, and the party tables were all placed as close to the original aesthetic of FNAF as possible. The children’s drawings pinned around the establishment were especially well done, giving the building the atmosphere of a graveyard where you could easily imagine the laughter and fun that was had in the place.
For the threat of the film to seemingly end by Abigail pinning a new drawing on the wall of kid’s drawings was a beautiful way to show the impact that drawing has on a child. For a series of lines and colours to have the power to sway even a ghost child shows how art can bring hope, inspiration, escapism, and joy to an individuals’ life. It reminds the ghost children possessing the FNAF animatronics of what William did to them, pushing them to enact their ghastly revenge on their killer.
The 'Bite of the Babysitter' was something that gave several people in the screening a laugh. Perhaps they were fans of the YouTuber Markiplier, sometimes dubbed as the ‘King of Five Night’s at Freddy’s’? Or perhaps they just thought it was a gruesome nod to how powerful the animatronics are and the danger they pose? Either way, hearing someone say, “Is that the bite of ’87?!” was funny. The death of Max, Abigail’s babysitter, was the end of the animatronics’ killing spree, tying up the series of violent deaths with a reminder to the audience that Freddy's pearly whites are not something you should get up close and personal with. It is also a nod to Five Night’s at Freddy’s 4 wherein we witness a young boy getting shoved into the mouth of Golden Freddy and the spring locks fail, causing the jaw to clamp down on the boy’s head, which eventually kills him.
Springtrap’s reveal was eery, intense, and exciting. The Springtrap suit was awesome. I didn’t quite clock that the great William Afton, played by Mathew Lilliard, was in fact the career advisor Steven Raglan from the beginning of the film, perhaps because I had assumed that William was already in the Springtrap suit, dead, just like in the games. Thus, when he removed the head piece of the suit and it was revealed that it was Shaggy- I mean, William, this whole time, was a nice twist. It makes the whole scene where Steve is interviewing Mike and pauses when he reads Mike’s last name even more gut-wrenching, as he only fumbles when he realised Mike is related to the young boy, Garrett Schmidt, who he murdered. Perhaps Steve offered Mike the security guard job so that he could ‘collect the whole set’?
William’s death was poignant and strangely satisfying. Watching the yellow bunny suit begin to entomb him inside, the springlocks of the suit failing and slowly killing him, was a nostalgic and victorious experience, even more so because the other animatronics dragged him off to slowly bleed to death in a backroom.
The words 'It’s Me'. These simple words send chills up any FNAF fan’s spine, as it indicates the arrival of Golden Freddy. In the games, it is highly suggested that Golden Freddy is possessed by the spirit of the boy whose head is shoved into Freddy’s mouth by his brother. In the movie, Golden Freddy, who only makes a full appearance at the end of the game in a Freddy suit with a singular blue eye, may in fact be Garrett. But Golden Freddy also appears through the words ‘It’s me’ written on a dusty mirror. Perhaps this was Garrett's way of telling Mike that he was here, in spirit.
What I Disliked
Granted, Elizabeth Lail’s version of Vanessa Shelly was interesting to watch. Looking for the subtle facial expression changes where the character was switching from kind and caring to aggressive to scared was something a FNAF fan can easily get excited about. We know from the first Five Night’s a Freddy’s Help Wanted VR game where we played as Vanessa that the character was bewitched or convinced or manipulated into taking on the guise of Vanny, mainly seen in Security Breach, to continue William Afton’s disturbing love for murdering children. It seems she battles a want to murder and to protect in both the games and the movie.
In the movie, Vanessa is a police officer whose beat includes the FNAF building. We learn that she used to love going to the establishment as a kid, and it is very clear that she is both sad and scared about whatever happened to cause the place to shut down. Throughout the movie, we see her going from sad about the children’s deaths, aggressive to Mike whenever he goes against what she wants, and scared. When it is revealed that the ‘yellow bunny’, otherwise known as Springtrap or William Afton, is none other than her father, it makes sense why she experiences so much emotional turmoil. However, I simply don’t like her presence in the film. What she essentially serves in the film is a reason why Mike shouldn’t bring his younger sister into the building and tragic plot point to make the reveal of who Springtrap is more devastating and gut-punching.
At one point in the film, Vanessa tries to convince Mike to stop taking his sleeping pills, which he uses to enter a dream state in order to work out who took his brother. She does this by throwing the pill bottle into a river. As a police officer, she should know that littering is a criminal offence, if not a poor moral choice. I also found this scene lacking. Mike doesn’t question Vanessa enough as to why she threw the pills away. Surely it is none of her business as to what he does to get to sleep, certainly for someone he has not known for long? It feels like the movie was trying to make the pair into a potential romantic or familial relationship, but I feel like there isn’t enough chemistry between the pair for either possibility.
If we interpret Vanessa throwing the pills away to deter Mike from discovering that it was her father is the one who kidnapped Mike’s brother all those years ago, then the scene makes complete sense. Even so, I just don’t like that it was Vanessa that threw the pills away. I feel like it might have had more impact if Abigail threw the pills away, wanting Mike to concentrate on her more. This is one example of several scenes where I feel Vanessa may not have been necessary in the film, and her actions could have been done with another character.
Aunt Jane is underused. Mike is so desperate in the film because he wants to keep his sister safe. Jane wants custody of Abigail, most likely for the money, and tries to achieve this by callously framing Mike as an inept guardian. Aunt Jane is a kind of antagonist in the film, and motivates Mike to get a job, any job, so that he can prove that he is providing for his sister. Yet all she really does is command some random people, Abigail’s teenage babysitter included, to go smash up the FNAF building that Mike works at to prove that Mike is inept. Given the building is in an isolated location, and is falling apart at the foundations, I am not entirely sure why the place being smashed up is directly Mike’s fault. The way it was posed suggests that Aunt Jane wanted to make it seem like Mike did not lock the place up correctly, yet the building itself seem to have locks that are as strong as a wet paper bag. Even when the plan does not go correctly, and all the vandals get brutally murdered by the animatronics, we do not see Aunt Jane try to contact any of the people, go searching for them, or question Mike about where the babysitter had gone. At the end of the film, Aunt Jane dies off screen, her body left discarded. I wonder what the film may have been like if Aunt Jane posed a bigger threat.
Where was the classic Freddy tune?! I was expecting to hear the creepy child-like jingle at least once, perhaps during the scenes where the vandals were brutally murdered one by one. But unless I completely missed it, I feel disappointed that the tune wasn’t used. Sure, in the first FNAF game the tune only plays when you run out of power, and you can see Freddy’s eyes light up in the doorway you are now unable to shut as he taunts you before your death. But I feel like it was a lost opportunity.
Conclusion
Watch the film if you enjoy anything FNAF based. It was a great communal experience, so as time goes on, I feel like some of the magic might be lost as the cinema’s are less full. Remember that the film isn’t going to be a jump-fest, nor is it going to tick the boxes of extreme gore or action. But, if you want to watch a film and have fun, then I’d recommend watching Five Night's at Freddy's.
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