On October 27th, 2023, the highly anticipated Five Nights at Freddy’s movie was finally released. As someone who has been waiting for this since 2015, I had high expectations.
The difference between the audience’s rating and the critic’s rating of the movie isn’t lost on me, but the fact of the matter is that the film wasn’t created for newcomers of the franchise. This much was said by the film’s director, Emma Tammi. In order to fully understand and enjoy the movie, one must have at least a basic knowledge of the “lore.”
It is important for viewers to suspend their disbelief and let the indie-horror-video-game-movie of it all wash over them. There were some complaints about the PG-13 rating; however, this seemed to be on par with the franchise as a whole – the most blood seen is about three pixels’ worth in an eight-bit game, so don’t get your hopes up if you’re looking for another Saw or a FNAF VHS.
As for the actors, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, and Piper Rubio put on a great performance. It is hard not to root for Mike and Abby through all their trials and tribulations. As for the others, I can’t go into it without dipping into spoiler territory, so you’ll just have to see for yourself!
The main setting, a dilapidated Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, is captivating, keeping audiences on edge. The animatronics, meanwhile, are truly a joy to watch. The fact that they’re completely practical and manned by puppeteers of the Jim Henson Company (famous for The Muppets) adds so much to the performance. They feel more authentic and menacing; knowing they can be touched really brings home the believability of the movie.
Because this is a Blumhouse movie about an indie horror game with haunted animatronics in a pizzeria… the movie gets, dare I say, “camp.” It’s a slasher through and through, so this is another moment where my only advice is to accept and enjoy it for what it is.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the franchise, I recommend watching it. It’s said to be one in a trilogy and since it’s free on Peacock, I suggest busting out the popcorn and cheesy eighties hits to dig into the movie and dissect its easter eggs on a Friday night.
