‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ brings fan service, but fails to scare

It’s hard to explain to an outsider how the 2014 horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s wasn’t just a video game. Even with its simple gameplay mechanics, it became a pop culture phenomenon in the mid-2010s thanks to YouTubers who played the game in their videos. It has its own devoted fanbase, obsessed with the lore and its frightening animatronic characters as its creator Scott Cawthon continued to create sequels of the game, further strengthening the hysteria surrounding the franchise online.

Even with its established lore, Five Nights at Freddy’s is more of a “gameplay-first, story second” kind of video game so there is that difficulty of adapting one of the most beloved games to the big screen given the mixed reactions towards game-to-movie adaptations in general.

Produced by Blumhouse Productions with a screenplay written by Cawton, Seth Cuddeback, and the film’s director Emma Tammi, the film establishes a coherent story as it focuses on Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) who works as a security guard at the abandoned pizzeria Fazbear Entertainment, which is haunted by the infamous animatronics Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy who can move at free will and kill their victims.

Originally an unseen and unspoken character in the first game, the film elaborates on the backstory of Schmidt by focusing on the childhood trauma that his brother was kidnapped and he has to take care of his young sister who he might lose to her aunt in a custody battle – all of which connect to the mystery surrounding the closed pizzeria.

One thing the film got right is the faithful adaptation of its source material while clarifying some elements that make sense for cinematic storytelling. For sure, fans of the video game franchise will be happy to see some of the Easter egg references.

The highlight is the scary animatronic robots and how they feel so real. One may mistake them for good CGI, but they are actually puppet robots made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop which is known for The Muppets. It’s important that a huge portion of the film’s budget is allocated to the robots, hence commissioning Henson’s to create them, as their impressive puppetry work easily convinces the audience that these robots are real.

Another highlight is the music by The Newton Brothers who are known to compose horror films. Their score, particularly their opening theme, perfectly embodies the film’s video game origins while making it memorable and catchy that it may as well define the whole franchise, not just the movie itself.

While the film is rated R-13 in the Philippines, it’s rated PG-13 in the US, so it fails to bring on the scares. It’s disappointing how a video game known for its jumpscares, the ones in this film are feeble, for adults at least. Kids may not leave the theater traumatized because it plays it too safe. Even the gory elements of the franchise have been toned down massively, and the goriest scene in the film feels more like a daytime walk in the park.

“Five Nights at Freedy’s” also suffers from its shallow characterization despite attempts to make its lore understandable. It feels like the story is moving these characters, not the characters bringing the plot forward. It seems too much to ask for a popcorn horror film to elaborate on their characters, but some interesting tidbits about them could have been welcomed.

These criticisms don’t seem to bother the loyal fans of the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise who are more than happy to finally see its expansion to the big screen. With this reaction, it’s safe to say that gaming fans in general can trust Hollywood to adapt video games better than they were a decade ago, even if critics continue to be as skeptical.

As such, this latest horror flick from Blumhouse is worth tuning in for the fans and to anyone who witnessed the peak of Five Nights at Freddy’s on the internet. The rest who aren’t familiar with its lore may as well find another horror flick to watch. Two and a half stars out of five.