“Five Nights at Freddy’s” started as a point-and-click style jumpscare game, with lore being built with the fanbase. Back in 2015, a movie was greenlit by Warner Bros., but they scrapped the idea. Then Blumhouse took over with Universal. Script after script after script, they finally found one they wanted. Filming started back in February. Now the movie is here. Here is my review.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” was released on Oct. 27, 2023, directed by Emma Tammi, and the screenplay was by Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon. This movie is definitely for the fans of the franchise as it starts out slow with some easter eggs. It focuses on Mike Schmit, a regular security guard in a mall. When something comes up he gets fired and goes to work at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, an abandoned pizzeria. The set design for the movie is done wonderfully; it really feels like an abandoned pizzeria.
The positives about this movie are that if you’re a fan of the games you will love the callbacks and cameos. Despite this being a horror movie, there were some scenes that got me genuinely laughing. The animatronics (who are the main focus besides Mike in this movie) are so well made and they look just like they do in the games. The robots were both actual animatronics and suit performers. Some more positives are that the soundtrack is beautiful. All the designs for the robots are stellar, and Matthew Lillard does an amazing performance as the movie’s villain; he gets back into the crazed psychopath that we haven’t seen since the first “Scream!” Some of the negatives are that this movie’s plot is very messy, and it seems rushed, skipping over so many plot points. It definitely leaves room open for a sequel.
This movie is a joy to watch and fans cannot wait to see what Scott Cawthon, Jason Blum, and Emma Tammi all have in store for the sequel. I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10.
