It’s time to clock in, the first trailer for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie dropped and it’s making waves on the internet. From it’s grand debut as an indie game, to YA book series, and plenty of toys, this series has been going strong in internet culture for almost a decade. Read on for everything we know about the upcoming movie adaptation releasing this fall.
Five Night’s At Freddy’s Official Trailer
The Elusive Story of Five Night’s At Freddy’s
In August 2014, Scott Cawthon released Five Nights at Freddy’s. In the game, you play as security guard who is hired to work the night shift at a pizzeria. You are trained by voicemails left by the last night guard who gives you cryptic hints that something is not right. The animatronics that entertain the children during the day roam around at night. And those animatronics are also trying to kill you.
At first glance, the games seem to just be about avoiding killer animatronics. However, there is a deep rabbit hole one can fall into in terms of the game lore. The story of Five Nights at Freddy’s is convoluted to say the least. Only the most eagle eyed players found the hidden story.
Newspaper clippings, cryptic notes, and the voicemail from the trainer reveal the dark past of the pizzeria. Missing children, traumatic brain injuries, and rotting bodies are somehow the least of your worries, as the animatronics are out to get you in no uncertain terms.
One thing that set Five Nights at Freddy’s apart was the the format. Instead of having any weapon to defend themselves, or even the ability to run away, players are stuck one location. The only action that can be taken is look at the security camera and close the door. If an animatronic gets too near, those are the only options. Truly, the lack of agency that players have in the game made it a uniquely terrifying experience.
This is only the beginning of the story, as the series progresses, the true story of what happened at the pizzeria expands and also becomes famously convoluted.
The Influence of Lets players on Indie Games
The history of FNAF is one that is tied to the rise of popularity of lets players: gamers who record themselves playing video games. One of the reasons Five Nights at Freddy’s shot to fame was due to the exposure from lets player and theory Youtuber channels. Almost immediately, the game took the internet by storm. Famous lets players like JazzyGuns, Markiplier, and JackSepticEye skyrocketed the initially unassuming game to fame.
Famous theory youtuber MatPat has made 43 theory videos about the nine games that released. This further added fuel to the virality of the game series. Indie games and gaming youtubers have had a symbiotic relationship as each came to prominence, each helps the promotion of one another.
What To Expect in the Movie Adaptation
The FNAF film was first announced in April 2015, but after several delays the film production stalled. In 2017, the production changed from Warner Bros. to Blumhouse.
Fans know Blumhouse for producing horror hits such as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Halloween, the Black Phone, M3GAN, Get Out, and Us. So, the movie is in good with a production company that understands producing horror films.
Horror fans rejoice as certified scream queen Matthew Lillard stars as William Afton, the main antagonist of the game series. Also starring is Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, the security guard. Elizabeth Lail plays Vanessa, a security guard not present in the main game series, but debuts in the most recent of the franchise, Security Breach. Other cast members include Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kat Conner, Grant Feely, Christian Stokes.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s film is bringing the internet sensation to the big screen this October. Packed with star power on screen and behind the scenes, this is sure to be a wild ride of a film for die hard FNAF fans and horror fans alike.
Five Nights at Freddy’s will simultaneously hit theatres and streaming service Peacock October 27, 2023.