The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie came out a few days ago, and naturally, I went to see it in theaters.
A couple of my friends went with me because movies are always better with company, and that definitely made it better.
But even if I had watched it on Peacock at home, I think I still would have thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
If you read my series retrospective in last week’s edition, you’ll know just how much I love the FNAF series. While other fans didn’t like the changes to the lore, I thought they were mostly sensible.
I also greatly appreciated the choice to have physical animatronics instead of just using CGI, particularly given the recent memory of the MCU.
It’s an adaptation of the story, not an exact recreation of it. Some of the changes were a little confusing at first, but I didn’t find any of them to be truly obnoxious.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems with the film. There are some strange rom-com-esque scenes, it’s not as scary as I would’ve liked and I think they could have utilized the game mechanics more.
The specific mechanic that comes to mind for me is the doors. I think the idea of being trapped in the security office, tracking the animatronics on camera and then having to sprint to the door and slam it shut is terrifying.
Despite these issues, the movie is still incredibly enjoyable, especially for fans of the FNAF video game series.
The movie isn’t overly saturated with in-your-face references that will alienate non-fans. There are tons of references in the background and set design, but the main dialogue reference is William Afton’s iconic line: “I always come back,” which is delivered by the ever-impressive Matthew Lillard.
Of course, the acting is solid, though nothing to write home about. I don’t think Lillard or Josh Hutcherson—who plays the lead—are going to win any Oscars, but their performances are immersive and convincing enough.
The movie also has an excellent sense of pacing in the few scary scenes that we get. This is especially nice because it gives us more time to appreciate the stellar design on the animatronics.
What really stands out are the sound and art direction.
The music is genuinely heart-pounding and not as high-pitched as your typical horror movie, which I appreciated as someone with sensory issues.
The climax, when the killer is finally revealed, is accompanied by a string and percussion score that would make the best horror villains proud and intimidating to the worst ones.
The mechanical servos that accompany the motion of the animatronics, as well as the singing that accompanies two of the scares, are utterly unnerving.
But the best part was the art direction, which had better get an Oscar nomination.
The animatronics look truly breathtaking. It might be said that they just had to copy the games, but translating from the digital to the physical world is NOT always easy — especially if the source material is a video game.
Foxy and Springtrap, in particular, are immaculately captured in all their somewhat decayed glory. After so long dealing with the horrifying Disney CGI characters, it was incredibly refreshing to see practical effects as a main feature of the movie.
The FNAF movie is certainly flawed, but honestly, I’m happy about that. It means that the series has some amazing potential to continue growing and improving in the next few movies.
They could have tried to cram all six games or all three books into a single film, but I can’t imagine that being good. If nothing else, I’m excited for the next movie.
FNAF as a series has a special place in my heart, and I’m incredibly happy that the movie joins the games and books there.
