The Five Nights At Freddy's Trailer Makes It Clear: This Isn't An Ordinary Adaptation
When Blumhouse released their first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated "Five Nights at Freddy's" film adaptation, fans were thrilled with the look of the animatronics, location, and tone ... with one exception. The animatronic's eyes were glowing red, a massive change to the unsettling bright-white light of the original games.
Was this a sign that the creatives behind the film were taking too many creative liberties, or merely an attempt to test the waters to see what the fan reaction would be? Regardless of the intention, it certainly got people talking and made the release of the first full-length trailer even sweeter when everyone's favorite animatronic murder bear came out of the darkness with glowing, white eyes. It felt as if Blumhouse had listened to the concerns of longtime fans, not unlike the redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog, but thankfully not requiring nearly as much modification.
"Five Nights at Freddy's" is based on the massively popular gaming franchise from Scott Cawthon, and is about a security guard named Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) who takes a job as the night watch at a dilapidated pizzeria and play center co-founded by William Afton (Matthew Lillard). While it's unknown whether or not the film will actually cover all five nights or just Mike's first night on the job, any worries fans had about the film should hopefully be put to rest after watching the new trailer. "FNAF" hive, rejoice, because this is clearly no ordinary adaptation.
A possible period piece
Based on this newest trailer, it seems like "Five Nights at Freddy's" is going to be a period piece set in the 1990s. One of the most obvious tells is the decor in Mike and Abby's house, where all of the technology is pretty dated and he converses with career counselor Steve Raglan through an old-school landline phone. There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in a hospital room toward the end of the trailer that shows a hospital bed with faux-wood paneling on the footboard, another tell-tale sign that this is not our current time period. And in case any more convincing is needed, the trailer ends with a cab driver, not a rideshare driver, showing up at the pizzeria.
It's a very smart choice considering longtime "FNAF" fans were kids in the 1990s and early 2000s. This will evoke feelings of nostalgia for those who actually grew up during a time period when animatronic birthday parties were common, but it isn't so dated that the core "FNAF" audience, which skews even younger, can't relate to the time period. "FNAF" was clearly inspired by the Chuck E. Cheese and ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurants, which rebranded the character design in 2012 and eliminated the use of animatronics altogether in 2015. This means putting the film in the 1990s is also historically appropriate.
Pushing the film into the 1990s also avoids the immediate audience comparison to something like "Stranger Things," which has almost become shorthand for "set in the '80s and deals with unexplained happenings to children" stories. It's a smart call and a sign that the creative team really thought things through.
Are there nightmare sequences?
Given the simplicity of "Five Nights at Freddy's" actual gameplay, plenty were skeptical as to how the film would incorporate the backstories and lore without it feeling like an exposition dump. Throughout the trailer, there are scenes of Mike Schmidt outside and face to face with a group of children, who are assumed to be the manifestation of the souls inside the animatronic bodies.
Pairing these scenes outside of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza with the shots of Mike falling asleep in front of the security cameras makes it seem like these are nightmarish visions he's seeing while sleeping on the job. There are also shots of what appears to be Mike's sister, Abby, walking through the pizzeria while it's clean and unabandoned, which could also be interpreted as a dream sequence.
If these moments aren't a dream sequence, there's a chance that the film is establishing new rules for the pizzeria. This would be a bold and exciting change that would allow even the most dedicated "FNAF" fans to still be surprised (and hopefully scared) with what Blumhouse has in store.
There are also brief shots showing Mike working at a mall as a security guard and getting into a physical altercation with an unknown man in a water fountain. Perhaps this is what made Mike so desperate that he was willing to take the gig at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It wouldn't be surprising if there are flashbacks to this fateful day, forcing Mike to reckon with how his past has brought him face-to-face with animatronic murder animals.
YouTuber cameos are a sign of fandom appreciation
"Five Nights at Freddy's" in its current form is a massive multimedia franchise boasting 13 games as well as 32 books and graphic novels, but it all began when the first game was released independently on Desura and Steam. "FNAF" could have gone the way of most indie games, developing a dedicated fanbase without ever crossing into the mainstream conversation, but that's not what happened. Instead, "FNAF" ended up on the radar of popular Let's Players on YouTube who posted playthroughs and reaction videos. With built-in fanbases of millions of subscribers, these YouTubers became the best marketing campaign imaginable. And it's this integral part of the success of "FNAF" that clearly motivated the decision to feature YouTubers on the "Employee of the Month" board shown in the trailer.
Confirmed appearances include FusionZGamer, Dawko, and 8-bit Ryan, with an extended appearance of CoryxKenshin as the cab driver. Based on FusionZGamer's trailer recap video, it sounds like game creator Scott Cawthon was the one who reached out to prominent YouTubers to have these little Easter egg appearances. After all, the guy owes it to the grassroots efforts of Let's Players who helped skyrocket the games' popularity and introduced them to a global audience. With no exaggeration, if it weren't for these gamers, the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie certainly wouldn't exist.
With that said, if Markiplier ends up in this film, the internet might actually implode. But don't get your hopes up too high — he was likely working on the "Iron Lung" adaptation at the same time which may have made a cameo appearance rather difficult.
Incorporating lore beyond the first game
While much of "Five Nights at Freddy's" is clearly based on the original game where Mike Schmidt watches security footage, rations out power sources, and tries like hell not to get jump scared into oblivion by any of the animatronics, bits of the trailer have already shown signs that the film will incorporate lore from other games and even the graphic novel series. Most obviously are the children's drawings from "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" that adorn the walls of the pizzeria while Mike and Abby are investigating, as well as the assumed presence of Vanny from "Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach" as the police officer that Mike meets after starting his job.
Also, while Matthew Lillard's character is shown with a desk title reading "Steve Raglan: Career Counselor," it's already been confirmed that Lillard is playing William Afton. As was explained in the books, Afton has a penchant for adopting different aliases, so it's likely that this is the case for the film. As "Raglan" is the person hiring Mike for the job, there's a high probability that Afton has taken up this persona for the sole purpose of hiring people to feed the machines. The trailer also shows a few seconds of Spring Bonnie in action, a character that debuted in "Five Nights at Freddy's 3," complete with a horrific, Afton-related backstory that we won't spoil for you here.
Despite all of the waiting and worry, it's clear that the "Five Nights at Freddy's" film adaptation is in extremely capable hands, and that they've put in the time and attention to make this movie the best it could possibly be. If only all beloved franchise adaptations could be so lucky.
"Five Nights at Freddy's" arrives in theaters and on Peacock beginning October 27, 2023.