How Donnie Darko And Martin Scorsese Influenced Five Nights At Freddy's
Normally, to reach the level of cult status, a film has to gain an underground popularity that breathes new life into a project that may have been otherwise overlooked. But when it comes to "Five Nights at Freddy's," the smash hit gateway horror movie had already become a cult film before it was even released. Thanks to the game's immense popularity, viral reaction videos, and numerous spinoffs, books, and toys, there was already a rabid fan base built in to ensure the "FNaF" phenomenon would translate to box office success on the big screen.
On the other hand, Richard Kelly's mind-bending masterwork "Donnie Darko" became a cult sensation that slowly gained momentum due to its complex plot that combined a teen drama with head-scratching surrealism, time travel, and alternate dimensions. There was also a giant bunny named Frank that would have blended right in among the creepy animatronics located inside Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
On the surface, "Five Nights at Freddy's" and "Donnie Darko" don't seem to have anything in common at all, although there's no denying that they both have turned out to be pop culture phenomenons for a very different set of generations. As it turns out, "FNaF" director Emma Tammi and star Josh Hutcherson drew on a wide range of cinematic influences to help set the stage for Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Fox to make their Hollywood debut, including "Donnie Darko" and, perhaps more surprisingly, Martin Scorsese's "Casino."
Taking inspiration from the most unlikely places
In "Five Nights at Freddy's," the character of Mike Schmidt seems fairly unassuming at first when he takes a night security job at the pizzeria. But he definitely has a few quirks of his own and a mysterious backstory that led Hutcherson to pull from Jake Gyllenhaal's breakout role. The video game lore in "FNaF" may even be more complicated than trying to figure out the ending to Richard Kelly's signature film.
"He was referencing that in terms of his performance," director Emma Tammi told Forbes, "but that is such a fun, unique tone and one of the reasons why it felt important to pull a lot of different references from different types of movies and filmmakers." Going back and looking at Hutcherson's work in the film, it's clear that he's channeling a little bit from Gyllenhaal's haunted performance. Donnie is being tormented by a giant bunny, Mike is being chased by a massive robotic bear. It all makes a weird kind of sense.
Tammi also went on to namecheck Scorsese's Vegas mob epic "Casino" when mentioning the kind of dynamic shot-making she wanted to bring to "Five Nights at Freddy's."
"When it came to camera movement, I was hugely inspired by shots from Scorsese's 'Casino,' among other things that you wouldn't necessarily think are an exact comp for 'Freddy's.' I think that created a unique and dynamic blend for what was this specific, quirky story and world."
Taking cues from an underground classic like "Donnie Darko" and one of Scorsese's most celebrated films may not seem appropriate when you're tackling an adaptation of a children's video game, but inspiration always comes from the unlikeliest of places.