Analyzing the Divisive Ratings of the Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie
The Five Nights at Freddy's movie has sparked intense debate among viewers, with opinions sharply divided between enthusiastic acclaim and harsh criticism Its ability to captivate die-hard fans is undeniable, yet its storytelling approach may prove alienating for a broader audience
Highlights
Catering to the admirers of the intricately woven narrative and speculative conjectures encircling the franchise, the Five Nights at Freddy's film follows a trajectory that embraces the franchise's evolution towards multi-dimensional, suggestive storytelling.
The film's intricate references and affirmation of dedicated fans' story-building truly resonate. It effectively incorporates theories and interweaves the stories within the universe.
Unfortunately, for general audiences unfamiliar with the series' lore, the film's narrative delivery can be alienating. Without prior knowledge, it may prove challenging to follow, resulting in a perplexing and disconnected experience.
CAUTION: This article includes SPOILERS for Five Nights at Freddy's. Proceed at your own discretion.
The long-awaited Five Nights at Freddy's movie, which was first announced in 2015, finally hit theaters last week. Despite its PG-13 rating, this horror flick quickly became a standout choice for Halloween 2023, breaking box office records during its opening weekend. However, when it comes to critical reception, opinions are divided. While critics have given the movie overwhelmingly negative reviews, fans are hailing it as a nearly flawless adaptation. This contrasting response has left some viewers puzzled, as they question the movie's tone and storyline. But there is a straightforward explanation for the polarizing scores of the Five Nights at Freddy's film.
When the project was initially announced, adapting the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise seemed like a much simpler task. The series was mainly known for its reputation as a "jump-scare-sim." However, over the years, the FNAF franchise has undergone a significant transformation, evolving into a nonlinear and lore-rich narrative that permeates popular media. With this transformation, the franchise moved away from conventional horror and embraced layered storytelling that requires interpretation. Modern Five Nights at Freddy's games, books, and free PC titles no longer provide straightforward narratives; instead, they incorporate fan theories and hints, allowing fans to piece together a new storyline. To the surprise of both fans and critics, the Five Nights at Freddy's movie follows a similar approach, mirroring the franchise's intricate storytelling.
Five Nights at Freddy's is Tailor-Made for Die-Hard Fans
During the development of the Five Nights at Freddy's movie, the team made a conscious effort to keep fans updated on their progress. They assured fans that the film would be tailor-made for them and would stay true to the source material. Director Emma Tammi set the tone of the film, citing 2019's Joker as an inspiration for delving into the story of Mike Schmidt, the franchise's mysterious character. Rather than being a high-octane thrill ride, the film aimed to explore the unsettling moments of violence found in the classic game titles.
Jason Blum emphasized that series-creator Scott Cawthon played a significant role in the film's development. Fans quickly recognized Cawthon's influence, as he drew from his entire body of work rather than just the first game in deciding what should be included. The end result is a film that caters to the devoted fans of the Five Nights at Freddy's video game series. The narrative, references, and storytelling style are all designed to please those who have a deep understanding of the intricate lore across various forms of media, not just the games.
To date, the lore of Five Nights at Freddy's encompasses 13 games and 24 books, along with supplementary titles like last week's Chica in Space, which offer hints and hints about the franchise's direction. The Five Nights at Freddy's movie not only acknowledges the assumed narrative shared across these platforms, but also assumes that fans are familiar with the theories and lore surrounding them.
For instance, the Sparky the Dog animatronic, which appears prominently in key scenes at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place, is inspired by an urban legend surrounding the original game that suggests the existence of a secret sixth animatronic. Similarly, the film includes significant moments of storytelling featuring a doll-like animatronic, which avid fans will quickly recognize as Ella, a doll/animatronic exclusive to various book series and a character of utmost importance in the Five Nights at Freddy's lore.
Details like Sparky, Ella, and even the portrayal of Phone Guy as William Afton, who is an original character in the books, give the Five Nights at Freddy's film a distinct feeling of being an adaptation of theories rather than just a standalone game. This creates a unique experience for dedicated fans, as they are given explicit explanations about the interconnectedness of the universe's stories. Consequently, these fans adore the film because it validates their previous efforts in constructing the story at an elevated level, while also introducing new elements for them to explore and connect. However, the same cannot be said for the general audience.
Five Nights at Freddy's Method of Storytelling Alienates its General Audience
The storytelling of the Five Nights at Freddy's film is, at best, shrouded in mystery, leaving those unfamiliar with the franchise struggling to grasp even its most basic elements. The issue lies in the absence of a clear entry point into the narrative for general audiences. Instead, they are thrust into what they likely expected to be a "killer robots" movie, only to spend the majority of its 110-minute duration alluding to dark events and violence through dialogue and recurring dream sequences. As the film reaches its climactic final act, general audiences are bombarded with a rapid succession of seemingly disconnected events, rather than the resolution of a complex tale of revenge.
General audiences typically start understanding the main concepts of Five Nights at Freddy's around the 20-minute mark, when they see the children's spirits for the first time in Mike's second dream sequence. Some may even make the connection between the spirits and the animatronics in the game. However, due to creator Scott Cawthon's reliance on hidden lore, even those audience members are already left behind by this point in the movie. Fans who notice the presence of five spirits but only four animatronics quickly identify the blonde-haired boy as Golden Freddy.
Golden Freddy, known as Cassidy in the lore, plays a crucial role in the overarching storyline of the series, as it harbors a deep hatred for Afton. Fans who recognize this character during their first appearance can easily follow the main plot of the film, identifying Golden Freddy as the secondary antagonist and realizing that Afton is controlling the other animatronics. However, general moviegoers are unaware of these facts, making it more challenging for them to grasp the majority of the film. Even when Golden Freddy directly appears in the climactic scene, many audience members, like Abby Schmidt, may mistake him for Freddy, missing the intense impact and sinister undertones that the moment carries for fans.
The reception of Five Nights at Freddy's polarizing reviews is epitomized by the portrayal of Golden Freddy. This character's storyline, central to the film, can easily go unnoticed by casual moviegoers, as it is visually present but lacks dialogue. Consequently, Five Nights at Freddy's presents a series of disconnected events for casual viewers and even some casual fans, while becoming an immersive reality for dedicated followers who are deeply invested in its lore. This duality clarifies the contrasting nature of its review scores, a point that even die-hard FNAF fans have openly acknowledged. Numerous fandoms have yearned for film adaptations that uphold the authenticity of the source material, and Five Nights at Freddy's stands as an exceptional case where the studio has accomplished just that, despite its limited accessibility to general audiences.
Five Nights at Freddy's
Five Nights at Freddy's, created by Scott Cawthorn, is an immersive first-person survival horror game that quickly gained popularity due to its unsettling animatronic adversaries and heart-pounding jump scares. With iconic characters such as Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy, Bonnie, and others, Five Nights at Freddy's has achieved tremendous success, resulting in spinoffs and a dedicated fan base.
