“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is reminiscent of a twisted version of a popular pizza chain and derives its inspiration from the video game with the identical name.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
(Universal Pictures)
- Directed by Emma Tammi
- Screenplay by Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, Emma Tammi
- Story by Scott Cawthon, Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre
- Based on “Five Nights at Freddy’s” by Scott Cawthon
- Produced by Scott Cawthon, Jason Blum
- Starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard
Studio Synopsis:
Can you survive five nights? The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse— the producer of “M3GAN,” “The Black Phone” and “The Invisible Man” — brings “Five Nights at Freddy’s” to the big screen. The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
J.P.’s Take:
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” plays out like a Chuck E. Cheese gone wrong and is based on the video game of the same title. With a PG-13 rating, just don’t expect it to horrify you much in the same way the game does. It’s a tame representation of the game, rather than a bonafide terrorizer. Yet, it’s not a total disappointment to some degree.
Something is menacing and quite twisted going on in the background. What the prolific filmmakers at Blumhouse Studios were aiming for was a more family-friendly scare fest. The kind where if you’re too frightened to take on other films in the realm like “Exorcist Believer” or “The Nun II”; this fits the bill as an undergrad horror viewing.
Judging by the trailers and posters, I knew I wasn’t in for a hair-raising experience. In fact, the first 40 minutes of this cinematic experience were rather slow and low-key. I didn’t have a problem with this mainly because the story became grimmer and its tone sinister especially since it involved missing children, which, if you’re a parent, would hit a soft spot.
The mystery begins with the main character, Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), a troubled security guard who’s been having disturbing dreams about his missing brother. He’s sleepless and practically jobless while trying to take care of his little sister on his own.
“Five Nights” isn’t about fear-mongering, instead, it hits you on a psychological level. Mike’s traumatic past drives the narrative, which doesn’t incorporate bloodletting to bring you chills. You’re cordially invited to sit and follow along with the characters to unlock the mystery. Even jump scares are kept to a minimum. It’s bewitching to watch the mystery unravel when Mike discovers what happened to those ghostly children in his dreams. Once the pandemonium plays out in real life, Mike has no choice but to battle his way through a funhouse of a defunct kids’ pizzeria.
There is also a bit of dark humor stemming from the animatronic puppet characters as well. I found myself having a good laugh when they went on attack within the confines of this dead, darkened eatery. Yet, I get it, this is not for the hardcore horror buffs. It’s meant to capture the essence of the game in such a way that’s accessible to youngsters and adults and not willing to push the envelope of the genre. For that, I give it kudos.
Along with Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games” franchise, Netflix’s “Ultraman”), the movie also stars Elizabeth Lail (“You,” “Mack & Rita”) playing Vanessa, a local police officer; Piper Rubio (“Holly & Ivy,” “Unstable”) as Abby, Mike’s younger sister; Kat Conner Sterling (“We Have a Ghost,” “9-1-1”) as Max, Abby’s babysitter; Mary Stuart Masterson (“Blindspot,” “Fried Green Tomatoes”) as Aunt Jane, Mike and Abby’s aunt; and Matthew Lillard (“Good Girls,” “Scream”) portraying Steve Raglan / William Afton, Mike’s career counselor and co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment.
I just wished “Five Nights at Freddy’s” at least provided more jump scares and much more suggestive frights. Rest assured you’ll be able to sit through this one without going home and turning on all the lights in the house. LOL.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is in theatres and streaming on Peacock.
Official Site: Five Nights at Freddy’s