The first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie took so long to get off the ground after the video games became popular that at least two rip-off movies made it into theaters before the official adaptation. The Banana Splits Movie actually took existing kid-friendly characters and made them into killer animatronics, while Willy’s Wonderland pit a mute Nicolas Cage against demon-possessed robots. Part of the reason things took so long is creator Scott Cawthon, who had approval rights, being a perfectionist about his script, and by the time a movie could be readied, the game series had gone from a pretty simple killer Chuck E. Cheese premise to a much more involved mythology throughout multiple titles.
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The movies proved to be hits, and indeed, they were chock full of lore. Critics and non-gamers seemed mostly baffled, but kids who got all the references made both movies thus far into hits. A PG-13 level of scares kept the material from feeling too dangerous, and three different sequel teases at the end of part 2, none of which made much sense to anyone who hadn’t played the games to completion. Now, however, we may have a sign that the third film will be more accessible. Speaking to Bloody Disgusting, Matthew Lillard, who will return to play arch-villain William Afton/Springtrap, said, “I know the early version of the script came through and everyone’s really excited about it. And I know they’re moving to the next level, so we will be shooting in 2027.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 Has a New Writer
Lillard’s comment on the script is significant, because it’s now being written by Gary Dauberman, who penned both It movies, The Nun, and the Annabelle trilogy (he also directed the third film in that series). Cawthon, who used his control to write the first two himself, had previously mostly had video game experience.Though Cawthon’s scripts allowed fans to recognize all their favorite references, they felt lacking in the traditional movie structure department.
As the recent success of Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil shows, a video game movie that can keep most of the fan base and work for casuals who’ve never touched a controller has the potential to be a massive hit, especially if it has a classic scare premise. Resident Evil jettisoned deep lore cuts to place a priority on capturing the feeling of playing the game. There were certainly Easter eggs, but the plot didn’t depend on, for example, using a typewriter ribbon at the right time.
What makes the Five Nights at Freddy‘s games work is the fear that a terrifying animatronic will suddenly pop out and scream at you, ending the game. By revealing too soon that the animatronics were possessed by the souls of children who were mostly just out for revenge on bad people, the movies defanged themselves. It’s hard to be frightened of giant robot animals who’ve just helped a little girl to build a pillow fort.
Yet somehow, as a screenwriter, Dauberman managed to make us afraid of a doll who isn’t even alive — Annabelle looks creepy, but she herself does nothing, as it’s the demon attached to her which does the damage. As for the It movies, Pennywise relies on the clown image luring innocent kids in close to be eaten. Both know how to jump scare in a way the Five Nights movies have mostly neglected.
Do you think a new writer can get this franchise back to the frights that made the games popular? Jump into comments and scare up your thoughts.
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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
