Five Nights at Freddy’s Review: An Awfully Fun and Frustrating Fright

Five Nights at Freddy’s is the little horror franchise that could. Back in 2014, the world was introduced to the icons of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in the debut video game and, at last, the now-iconic franchise has been adapted for the big screen with help from Blumhouse Productions. Five Nights at Freddy’s does capture the spirit of its original games in many ways, but its disjointed scares will leave audiences lacking.

Five Nights at Freddy’s takes the complex lore of its video games and creates a chimeric narrative of loose ends. At the film’s start, we meet Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) who is desperate to keep down a job so he can support his troubled younger sister. The opportunity to do night security at an abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza arises and Mike takes the job. But once Mike meets the animatronics at the shop, his life is turned upside down. After all, these forgotten animatronics like to kill people, and Mike finds himself entangled in their murderous game.

When you think of Five Nights at Freddy’s, you most likely conjure up images of its mascots. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy are inseparable from the franchise, after all. It is with great relief I say the film nails its presentation of these machines. The team at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop did a gorgeous job creating the hostile animatronics. It cannot be overstated how impressive the movie’s monsters looked on screen, and yes – that includes Carl the Cupcake.

The impressive visuals of Five Nights at Freddy’s extends to its set design, as well. The attention to detail is impossible to ignore. Longtime fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s will be blown away by the one-to-one recreations on screen, and even newcomers with no knowledge of Freddy Fazbear will get the creeps from his pizzeria, so I have no complaints about the ambiance.

Unfortunately, the film’s aesthetic is its strongest attribute. When it comes to the story, Five Nights at Freddy’s is a nightmare. Bloated with characters and tangents, this movie is incredibly convoluted. Young fans may not be swayed by the disjointed plot, but longtime fans and adults will be left at a loss. For many, the charm of Five Nights at Freddy’s is its tense scares and the lore behind its animatronics. While some of this is found in the film, Five Nights at Freddy’s spends most of its time fleshing out its human cast, and their backstories are flimsy, at best.

Beyond its weak story and characters, Five Nights at Freddy’s will polarize most fans with its scares. There is no denying the Five Nights at Freddy’s Universe is terrifying, and it is pretty twisted. The games revel in jump scares, but it also features upsetting moments of gore. For the most part, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie sanitizes these moments. With its PG-13 rating, the movie’s scares are accessible for most pre-teens, in my opinion. However, the lack of scares also gives Five Nights at Freddy’s little tension. This absence was keenly felt on my part, but judging by the gasps I heard from children in the theater, my experience was not universal.

Since the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s nearly a decade ago, the franchise has become a giant with horror lovers. This means expectations for its movie adaptation were high, and sadly, Five Nights at Freddy’s did not meet them. The film’s sanitized scares strips the franchise of its legendary tension. When paired with its muddled story, the only thing that kept Five Nights at Freddy’s afloat for me was its filmography and Easter eggs. Even with its flaws, the film will likely impress young fans who’ve yet to develop a tolerance for horror. But, as for older fans, well – they will have no problem surviving their visit to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Five Nights at Freddy’s will begin streaming on Peacock the night of October 26th. The movie will start its theatrical run on October 27th.