Five Nights at Freddy’s, the cult horror game turned movie, explained

A lot of people may not expect a movie based on robotic characters from a spooky pizza restaurant that frequently murder kids to become very famous. However, Five Nights at Freddy's has been long-awaited by fans and is set to premiere in theaters on October 27th.

The film is a collaboration between Universal and Blumhouse. It looks like the filmmakers have made every effort to remain true to the video game series that became a sensation after its release in 2014. The game started as an independent project, but eventually gained widespread adoption, becoming one of the few indie games to break into the mainstream. The game is renowned for its classic horror elements such as empty, eerie buildings filled with winding corridors, innocuous-looking children's toys that take on an evil character at night, and numerous jump scares. The title character of the game is a huge, animatronic teddy bear known as Freddy who, together with his animal friends, is out to hunt and kill you - you never know where he might be lurking!

If everything seems like a simple copy of horror movies from the past, then you're correct. That's why it's perplexing that it took this much time to make a movie adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy's. The game already has all the scary elements needed for a horror movie in its setup and design.

FNAF, short for Freddy's, is more than just a horror game – it has had a significant impact on the gaming community and YouTube culture. The franchise represents the increasing popularity of games that not only keep players on the edge of their seats, but also leave them wondering about the underlying meaning of it all. Over the years, the game has expanded its worldbuilding capabilities and has grown to include eight main games, one virtual reality game, five spinoffs, numerous books and graphic novels, and most recently, a movie.

After almost a decade since FNAF first appeared, its "lore" has extensively increased. Its fans have characterized the tale of massive and horrific robotic creatures as a boundless puzzle box that involves murder.

Scary Pizzeria With Killing Animatronics In FNAF

The whole story behind FNAF was created by Scott Cawthon, an experienced game developer who identifies as Christian. He previously received negative feedback on a game he made where the main character was compared to a scary animatronic. This led Cawthon to snap and create a terrifying game to prove his abilities. Interestingly, Cawthon talks about being guided by God in an interview where he discussed his faith, much like his fans are guided by the clues he includes in the game's design to understand the story. However, Cawthon faced criticism in 2021 when it was discovered that he donated to conservative causes like political campaigns for Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, as well as anti-abortion groups. As a result, Cawthon retired from game development.

According to a humorous Reddit post by Cawthorn, the upcoming FNAF movie won't focus too much on the fan-made universe that emerged from all of the games. Instead, it will be based on what he calls "the Mike script," which appears to be a loose but accurate adaptation of the first game. The script revolves around a character named Mike Schmidt, played by Josh Hutcherson in the film. The main idea of FNAF is to survive five nights with dangerous robotic dolls in a sinister building as they gradually become more deadly. This concept should be well-suited for the big screen, especially since the film elevates the stakes by introducing Mike's daughter Abby (a variation of a later game character) and bringing her into the terrifying funhouse.

The game puts you in the shoes of a newly hired night guard, Mike Schmidt, whose job is to keep an eye on the well-liked Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant in town. During the day, people flock to play with the impressive and fun-filled robotic dolls, as well as enjoy the arcade-style games. Yet, when night falls, the animals roam freely throughout the building. This poses an issue as the creatures mistake humans for animatronic robots without their suits. At the start of the game, your supervisor warns you that if the animals see a human, they will attempt to cram them inside an animatronic suit- not the best scenario for survival.

The term "five nights" pertains to the duration of your stay inside the establishment once all personnel have left. You are deemed victorious if you survive the full week without being discovered and killed by the mechanical beings.

Staying alive is not as simple as it sounds. The primary crew of animatronics in FNAF includes a ferocious violet bunny called Bonnie, a massive canary called Chica, a defective robotic rogue named Foxy who dresses like a pirate with a hook for one hand and an eye patch, and Freddy, a sluggish yet dangerous brown teddy bear. They hunt the corridors of the pizza place and, upon detecting you, they'll eliminate you.

Alright, you might be thinking that as a security guard you could simply stay in the guard room, keeping all the doors locked. However, this isn't entirely true. The guard room has many roles to play such as monitoring the animals' whereabouts, illuminating the corridors, and keeping security doors locked. As the night progresses, more power is consumed from the guard room. If the power runs out, it becomes impossible to keep the doors locked. This situation is undesirable as Freddy, the animatronic bear, might find you. Additionally, the job of a security guard becomes increasingly perilous with each passing night. On the fifth and final night, you will be subjected to hair-raising terrors in the style of a classic horror movie.

As you navigate the building through hidden cameras, you gradually uncover clues about the characters, gaining a deeper insight into the situation at Freddy's and the reasons behind the animal's hostility towards you. Along the way, you unlock a twisted backstory that introduces you to countless new animatronic dolls with a lethal agenda. Additionally, the game's meta-narrative is enriched by the new information you uncover. This exciting exploration, combined with the innovative ideas proposed by the fandom, has made FNAF a highly interactive experience, despite its initial single-player format.

FNAF And Its Influence On Internet Culture And Gaming Fandom

FNAF became famous among the numerous horror games thanks to its stripped-down style which allowed an immersive experience of being in a dark building at night. Its simplicity resulted in effective mounting of terror and suspense, similar to horror movies, which lasted throughout the game - or until the player's character died. If you thought jump scares in movies were spine-chilling, try facing them alone in a dark room with headphones on- as the character in the game.

This unique experience is closely connected to the popularity of FNAF in the world of YouTube. When the game was first released, Let's Play videos were just starting to gain popularity. In this format, gamers share their screens and provide commentary as they play the game, allowing viewers to follow along and enjoy their reactions. Although this format is now widespread on Twitch and YouTube, it was still relatively new at the time. FNAF reaction videos took Let's Plays to new heights of popularity. Many popular YouTubers, such as PewDiePie and Markiplier, gained their initial fame thanks to the virality of their FNAF reaction videos, which were watched by millions of casual gamers and horror enthusiasts who might not have otherwise visited YouTube for this sort of content. Markiplier's earliest video, which describes FNAF as "the scariest game in years," has been viewed over 100 million times. These videos were particularly popular because viewers enjoyed watching the gamers experience the game for the first time and react dramatically to each jump scare.

Although jump scares may have initially drawn people in, they alone wouldn't make the game worth replaying or obsessing over. Instead, the game's value lies in its cryptographic narrative. This type of storytelling is like a detective novel that allows players to become the detective. The game is filled with secrets and clues that create a puzzle-like relationship between the text and reader. In FNAF, the story is not necessary to enjoy the game, but rather it enhances the sense of immersion.

As gamers play FNAF, they unravel bits of information that enhance their knowledge of the game's universe and its happenings. While some may prefer to simply enjoy the game as a scary experience where the goal is to survive attacks, others can delve deeper by collecting clues scattered throughout the game. These clues are non-linear and require some effort to piece together, but they ultimately provide a broader understanding of the game's storyline - or what people believe it to be. However, it's important to note that the game itself is self-contained and offers more questions than answers.

Other fans can also provide guidance to fellow enthusiasts. Back in 2014, Matthew Patrick, the founder of The Game Theorists YouTube channel, published videos analyzing FNAF. In no time, he became the authoritative source for FNAF fan theories – the ultimate decoder and keeper of FNAF's lore. Currently, his FNAF playlist contains over 60 videos with nearly 800 million views. In Patrick's most popular FNAF video, which acts as an introduction to the first game and some of the obscure riddles it presents, he defines the game as "an incredibly mysterious and unfinished story with enough clues to maintain your interest in guessing."

If you're not much of a gamer, you may be unaware of the prevalence of a new style of game design in today's world. This trend, known as metatextual game design, can be found in popular survival games such as Hello Neighbor and intricate RPGs like Disco Elysium. In these games, players no longer focus merely on competition and winning, but also on exploring the game world, discovering hidden secrets, and immersing themselves in the mystery. As a result, gamers are no longer content with simply playing games, but instead aim to solve them or at least have fun trying. This has led to a rise in fan theories and community problem-solving, adding an exciting new dimension to the gaming experience.

Everything has now come full circle with the upcoming FNAF movie. Fans have already discussed complex theories about the film's changes to or variations from the original lore, new enigmas, and its composition, solely based on the trailers they have seen and rumors they have heard. Emma Tammi, the director, has emphasized the significance of precisely depicting the lore while also incorporating new components in the movie. Additionally, she has hinted about potentially directing the supposed three-part movie series that could potentially arise if this film succeeds, possibly leading to more complex and intricate storylines for fans to delve into.

What does this imply for the film? It could suggest that FNAF enthusiasts will have an entirely fresh selection of enigmas to ponder. Regardless, if you depart the theater more puzzled than when you arrived, it is likely that you have stumbled upon something.

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