Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) spoiler free review
Can you survive? Five Nights at Freddy’s is a 2023 American supernatural horror film based on the video game franchise of the same name created by Scott Cawthon. Its directed by Emma Tammi, produced by Blumhouse, and co written by Tammi, Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, Chris Lee Hill, and Tyler MacIntyre. The film was simultaneously released theatrically by Universal Pictures and on Peacock Tv on October 26, 2023.
A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, Piper Rubio as Abby, Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa, Matthew Lillard as “Steve Raglan” / William Afton, Mary Stuart Masterson as Aunt Jane, Kat Conner Sterling as Max, David Lind as Jeff, Christian Stokes as Hank, Joseph Poliquin as Carl, Lucas Grant as Garrett, Theodus Crane as Jeremiah, gaming YouTuber CoryxKenshin as a cabbie, YouTuber MatPat as Sparky’s Diner waiter, Kevin Foster as Freddy Fazbear (voice), Jade Kindar-Martin as Bonnie (voice), Jessica Weiss as Chica (voice), and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. as Foxy (voice).
My opinion
After years of long waiting, the adaptation of the popular horror video game Five Nights at Freddy’s has arrived on the big screen. Directed by Emma Tammi this adaptation takes us into the dreams of the protagonist, Mike Schmidt, and his search for answers leaving aside the scary skills of Freddy and his companions Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.
The biggest obstacle this movie faces is its PG-13 rating. This not only reduces the scares but forces the blood to be limited and the deaths to be off-camera. And when your villains are animatronics, their realistic appearance must be highlighted, with these limitations they lack that terrifying and threatening aura. This makes the film a horror film for a younger audience, which is not a negative aspect but should be highlighted. If your expectations are to see violent animatronic murderers, this is not the movie for you.
The plot becomes somewhat slow and takes its time to get to the action. Half the movie we are learning about Mike’s problems and traumas and their reasons. Depending on your tastes, this can become boring or feel like a slow burn. Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard performances are the most outstanding part of the film even though the appearance of Lillard is limited. But this will not be the last time we will see him as William Afton since in an interview on the podcast WeeklyMTG on January 2023 Lillard revealed he signed a three-picture deal with the studios. At the end Five Nights at Freddy’s is an adaptation made with heart for the fans but that never manages to scare or show Freddy’s scary nature.
[Editor’s note: This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.]