Five Nights at Freddy's

★★ out of ★★★★

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Runtime: 109 minutes

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images and language.

Released in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy's, an indie point-and-click survival horror game, immediately blew up thanks to its deceptively simple yet intense gameplay, gaining further traction from creators like Markiplier on online platforms primarily YouTube. This was a launchpad for multiple sequels on various consoles, all while giving rise to a burgeoning and increasingly convoluted lore.

In an admittedly good move, the film adaptation doesn't confuse newcomers with its lore, and has well-designed sets that evoke the vibe of an abandoned, creepy pizzeria. Unfortunately, despite a decent attempt on a story of grief and redemption, it far from captures the essence of what made the games terrifying, strangely lacking in thrills, atmosphere and occasionally lagging in pacing.

Of course, one wouldn't expect it to precisely follow the mechanisms of the video games, which essentially traps the user (a security guard) within the confines of an office room, struggling to fend off possessed animatronics to survive the night. Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), a twenty-something-year-old man, is in an uncomfortable situation. Having beaten up a father whom he mistook for a kidnapper, his job options are increasingly limited. Although he's hesitant in accepting a security gig as advised by his career counselor (Matthew Lillard), Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) threatens to gain custody of his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio), which becomes the main driving force of him reluctantly accepting the job.

Mike, while dealing with daily struggles, also has a troubled past. In recurring dreams that are filmed in a way that starts to get repetitive, we learn that he had a younger brother Garrett (Lucas Grant), who was kidnapped when Mike was 12. As he grows accustomed to the pizzeria, he strangely gets clues from children in his dreams that reveal more about his brother's captor, all while placing himself in greater danger.

For newcomers, a police officer, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) - whose appearance feels like a plot convenience - explains that the pizzeria shut down decades ago due to an incident that caused five children to go missing (they were murdered). It is of no surprise that the missing children in question are the ones who appear in Mike's dreams, and their souls possess the animatronics.

While most viewers (me included) were expecting something gnarly, the adaptation, in an attempt to translate the fear and dread while making it accessible to audiences of all ages, strangely feels comparatively tame for longtime fans of the franchise, yet too scary for younger audiences in its Saw-like traps and bloodless beheadings. It boils down to cheap jumpscares and scenes that feel deliberately controlled, sacrificing dread for generality. Despite the relatively brief runtime of 109 minutes, several scenes are also too slow paced. There's a superior R-rated version that is slightly tighter and isn't afraid to hold back, one that conceals the animatronics to a higher degree, allowing their appearances to be more threatening and genuinely frightening.

Still, the dynamic between Mike and Abby, as well as how it explores grief and sacrifice, are handled pretty well. In letting go of the past and focusing on the present, Mike grows a newfound appreciation for his sister, instead of being fixated on Garrett and wishing to swap Abby with him, a mistake he tries resolving later on. Grounding the narrative in trauma and loss provides several moments of thoughtfulness, which is otherwise riddled with contrivances. Let's just say that the final act sparked confusion, in a way that doesn't narratively tie up well and betrays the lore, ending things in a bizarre way.

What made the games scary? There was a sense of unpredictability, a feeling that you were being constantly watched. The impending and inescapable doom once you slip up was terrifying, and the darkly lit atmosphere, as well as brilliantly concealed strings, created an increasing sense of tension as every second ticked. The adaptation, in comparison, smartly attempts to move the story in a more personal way, but forgets to capture its distinctive features and mood.