For many fans of a certain age, the most anticipated next horror movie of the Halloween season and beyond is Five Nights at Freddy’s, the first live-action adaptation of the very popular video game series that has become a merchandising monolith over the years. Although the story that fills games, novels and short story collections is not as as dense as the MCU multiverseit may still be a lot to take in for anyone not already familiar with the dark and deadly world of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
That’s of course what we’re doing here: providing laypeople with the details that moviegoers should have in mind before going to see Five Nights at Freddy’sespecially those who haven’t watched playthroughs and studied Easter eggs in the years since the first game launched in August 2014. (With franchise creator Scott Cawthon serving as EP and co- screenwriter, you know there will be Easter eggs.) So let’s get to know this universe a little!
Meet Security Officer Mike Schmidt
Introduced in the first game, then brought back in several sequels, the seemingly everyday Mike Schmidt is one of several possibly unlucky candidates looking to find a job running the night shift at the now-defunct restaurant and entertainment center known as Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Initially, not much is known about Mike during his week-long job as a security guard, although his subsequent appearances have provided some surprises and speculation-generating connections.
The film version, as represented by hunger games Vet Josh Hutcherson is also named Mike Schmidt, and since it’s unclear whether the live-action iteration will follow the same narrative avenue as the source material, we’ll consider these spoilers for now. The big change that we TO DO What is known, however, is that Hutcherson’s Mike is accompanied by his much younger sister named Abby (Piper Rubio).
The two-handed approach hasn’t been addressed on the game side, but could potentially be a way for the film to address some of the events in the story. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, which features a young child as the main protagonist facing a series of mini-games. But there’s also a more direct connection the film could make, assuming Abby is just her nickname…
Meet the Animatronics: Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy
The central animatronic quartet at the center of Five Nights at Freddy’sFeatures the titular brown bear mascot, Freddy Fazbear, with his iconic top hat and tie; Bonnie, the indigo rabbit who plays the guitar; yellow-bibbed chicken chorus girl Chica (and her complementary snack Mr. Cupcake); and the red pirate fox Foxy, whose eye patch and hook don’t make her so ideal for being part of the group.
At first, the idea was that the various animatronics needed to be activated during the night to prevent their servos from malfunctioning due to their immobility. But as the games’ story and narrative evolved over time, the true cause was revealed to be that the animatronics are actually possessed by the spirits of murdered children whose deaths were directly linked to the restaurant and its mysterious co-founder.
Blumhouse Five Nights at Freddy’s seems to lean much more towards robots owned by children, which is hinted in the FNAF trailer and other promotions. And that means, hopefully, we’ll see some of the altered and increasingly frightening iterations of the main characters that will be introduced in later games, such as Golden Freddy, Spring Bonnie, and/or Mangle, to name just a few. name just a few.
The Fazbear Entertainment brand is not limited to the pizzeria
Although the series and its film adaptation begin by focusing on a single restaurant, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, it is revealed to be one of several children’s restaurants bearing the mascot’s name and likeness in the 1980s and possibly into the -of the. The third game features the horror attraction Fazbear’s Fright, Sister Location takes place in Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rental, and the sequel Security breach features the biggest location of all: Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex, which is a huge shopping center filled with themed settings and attractions. (This game also features the Glamrock versions of the main team, with Montgomery Gator taking Bonnie’s place.)
We don’t know how far the first Five nights The film will continue the story of the central funzones, although the trailer’s flashback scenes imply that there have been problems with the place for years, even if Mike & Co. don’t automatically seem aware of its possibly haunted story. But if the movie ends with a teaser for a vacancy at Circus Baby Entertainment, you’ll be ready for it.
Matthew Lillard’s character is essential to the story
While the cast of FNAF also includes Once upon a time veterinarian Elizabeth Lail as Officer Vanessa Monroe and Grilled green tomatoes the remarkable Mary Stuart Masterson as Mike’s Aunt Jane, Shout The casting of star Matthew Lillard was arguably the most vital of all. As the star most in line with other horror franchises, Lillard immediately surprisingly proved to be playing the main antagonist of the game universe, an evil man named William Ashton. Why this was shocking in itself is that the trailers showed him playing someone named Steve Raglan, which is undoubtedly some sort of fake identity used to confuse others, but it would have been more effective if that had been the case. wasn’t already restored before we knew it.
Another reason why the first reveal was a surprise is that the evil brand mogul never had a full appearance in the game series and only appeared as a purple silhouette glowing with a nickname , or through references in found written and audio media. within games. As such, Lillard’s appearance in the trailer is technically the first time Five Nights at Freddy’s fans have seen him up close and personal, even if he’s not billed as such.
At the risk of being too spoiled, William Ashton is most certainly the cause of most (if not all) of the horrors that ravage the various locations of Fazbear. And he’s also very personally involved in one of gaming’s weirdest, and therefore most beloved, creations, Springtrap, which may or may not have been teased in the trailers released so far.
After all this discussion, it’s time to discover the second Five Nights at Freddy’s trailer below!
Five Nights at Freddy’s will debut in theaters on Friday, October 28, while also streaming the same day for anyone with a Peacock Subscription.