Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) Review

In the murky depths of the video game world, there exists a dark and twisted cavern known as Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF). For those uninitiated, this series, born from the macabre imagination of Scott Cawthon in 2014, has built a cult following with its unnerving gameplay and intricate lore. Naturally, the prospect of a film adaptation sent fans into a frenzy. But is this film just a fantasy come-true for ardent gamers or does it offer something for the general populace?

The Five Nights at Freddy’s film introduces us to Mike (Josh Hutcherson), a security guard desperate to secure his sister’s custody, and the cursed pizzeria becomes his new workplace. While the game’s protagonist was a nameless night watchman, the film endeavors to humanise him with a convoluted backstory, a move that might have resonated if not for the time wasted on dull familial travails and a puzzling subplot. These detours hinder the film’s primary draw—the animatronic nightmares that haunt the pizzeria.

In the game, the tension has always been palpable as players frantically monitored security cameras and defended themselves from the animated horrors lurking in the darkness. Though the film does very well to replicate the familiar surroundings it never quite manages to recreate this sense of impending doom. The scares are meager and often descend into cheap jump scares that feel repetitive and uninspired, in stark contrast to the game’s calculated dread.

One can’t help but question director Emma Tammi’s understanding of the tone intended for this adaptation, leaving the audience bewildered and yearning for the genuine chills of the game. In Tammi’s defence, a film like this is always going to struggle to keep all sides happy. You have horror and gaming fans in their 20s and upwards who have played the game and need blood and true horror to fully appreciate the experience. But you also have a large younger audience who have grown up around the lore of Freddy’s and will snap up valuable tickets at the box office – hence the 15 certificate. This results in a film that really struggles to please both parties.

Amidst the shadows of this adaptation, some lights flicker. The costume design for the animatronics is a rare bright spot, capturing the essence of the game’s characters, even if their limited screen time disappoints. Matthew Lillard, with his considerable acting prowess, attempts to elevate the film but is weighed down by a lackluster script.

The real issue plaguing this film is its disconnection from the rich lore that makes the Five Nights at Freddy’s series so enticing. Cawthon’s carefully placed breadcrumbs of backstory, hidden in mini-games and embraced by a thriving fan theory culture, are glossed over in favor of a generic, trauma-driven narrative. The script, credited to Cawthon himself, abandons the series’ essence, opting for a lackluster exploration of a protagonist’s psychology, despite the premise of ghost children inhabiting giant robots. Frustrating plot holes are also obvious.

Even the legendary moments from the game, like the infamous “Bite of ’87,” are notably absent, making the film feel like an imitation rather than a faithful adaptation. With a narrative focus astray and a failure to instill genuine horror, the film struggles to appeal to both fans and newcomers alike.

Despite these drawbacks, there’s a glimmer of hope within the film’s atmosphere. The eerie, decrepit pizzeria does evoke a sense of nostalgia for those who spent hours playing the games. And although older audiences will not find this film scary, for many younger viewers this could be an entertaining first toe-dip into the horror genre with little on-screen scares and much of the nasty stuff implied rather than shown.

The film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s falls into the same pitfall that plagues many video game adaptations. It drowns in the mire of uninspired scares, a baffling narrative, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the game’s essence. The promise of a dark and twisted treat is dashed, leaving fans and potential converts longing for the original game’s genuine thrills.

Much like the other recent Blumhouse release M3gan, the commercial appeal of this title is clear, the audience is yearning and the marketing is impressive. But at the heart of it, this is a film that doesn’t quite satisfy any one group and is more likely to frustrate than excite its audiences.

Movie Rating:

Five Nights at Freddy’s trailer