Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

10/27/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

We are living in quite the unique time when to comes to adaptations of videos games for film and television. Simply because, this particular genre of film, is finally garnering some respect. For gone are the days of half-hearted adaptations. Ones filled to the brim with slick moments and loud soundtracks to appear cool and kitschy. There’s real love going into these stories now, and creatives are working hard to really capture the essence of the source material, pay proper tribute to it, and grow the story. For that is what fans truly want, to see the game in real life and have it offer just enough of something more to make it stand out and that has been the norm lately, and it’s been delightful.

In fact, the success of this new wave of adaptations and the joy it is bringing the masses, has emboldened creatives to continue to tweak the formula. So that perhaps the real boundaries of the genre can be pushed and so fans of the adapted game franchise can discover wonders untold from a filmmaking standpoint and well, it just so happens, that a quality adaptation that accomplishes that is in theaters, and available on Peacock now. For Five Nights at Freddy’s is indeed the long-awaited adaptation of the wildly popular game franchise, and it does feature some amazing depth, but before we discuss that, we need to talk about how it makes the franchise proud. Thanks in large part to its setting and its plot, since this is a story that introduces us to a down and out man named Mike, who takes on quite the job to save what remains of his family.

A job that entails nights, and being away from his beloved sister, Abby, and also watching over an iconic place with a dark history. For Mike has been tasked with keeping what’s left of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place safe, a once proud children’s pizza joint/arcade that fell on hard times when a bevy of children went missing with its walls. Which of course, should be an easy job. But the old animatronics in this place, seem to have a mind of their own and so does the facility, since its secrets run deep and it is eager to reveal them, and well, it won’t be long now before the dark history of this pizza place is presented to Mike, and what it will show him will change his life forever. Which is a plot… that perfectly provides fans of this iconic game with everything they could want and more.

Since we are indeed plunged into the iconic world of Freddy Fazbear’s horrific pizzeria, and of course… so many of the iconic monsters are present here and really, iconography from the game is everywhere to be found. Not to mention, other elements from the game we won’t spoil here are present, giving rise to that respectful adaptation we crave, but what makes this movie so special… is what it does beyond the adaptation portion. Because in many ways… this is a movie that is designed to take fans of the game that have a casual understanding of horror or a curiosity about the genre… and introduce them to what it can accomplish for a viewer. Which means that while the scares aren’t as intense as some of the more hardcore fans might like, there’s a real creepy vibe to this movie, one that unsettles and enchants, and that is the essence of horror and why we love it.

However, while those words do make it appear as though this is only a gateway horror film, make no mistake about it… there are elements present here for hardcore horror fans as well. After all, the story expands upon some already dark elements from the game and elevates them to a new level, adding some of the horrors of the world into the story, such as generational trauma, and the power of trauma in general. Not to mention, Freddy and his friends are indeed horrifying through and through and the movie even takes the time to pay homage to classic and contemporary horror stories. Since there are echoes of Stephen King’s Insomnia and The Shining, and there are hints of Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Doctor Sleep to be found here as well.

Not to mention, the story is anchored by some fine acting. For Josh Hutcherson is simply sublime as Mike Schmidt and brings the right level of ache to the role needed to trust and root for the character, and Matthew Lillard is simply amazing as Steve Raglan and steals every scene he is in. And their intense work is wonderfully counterbalanced by Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa and Piper Rubio as Abby since their performances add incredible depth to the story. And of course, we’d be remiss to not point out that Mary Stuart Masterson commands every scene she is in as Aunt Judy, and well… all of these elements combine to bring forth, one frightfully delightful horror film. One that really does offer so much and truly entertains, and most important of all… brings another iconic video game to life in a manner that is pleasing and respectful.

Watch ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

0 Comments