"Five Nights at Freddy's" stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard. Releasing on October 27, 2023, the film has a security guard encountering a frightening secret behind an abandoned family entertainment center. The film is directed by Emma Tammi, who also directed "Fair Chase", "The Wind", and two episodes of the television series "Into the Dark". It is based on the video game franchise created and developed by Scott Cawthon. There are many things that come to our young minds while visiting a family entertainment center, mainly Chuck E Cheese. You have the pizza aroma, multiple kids screaming and running around the place, and the animatronic mascots showing off their wonky moves and soulless eyes. They may appear harmless and cute at first during the daytime, but at night, they're actually the opposite. Despite their adorable appearances, their true selves after hours are nothing but nightmare fuel that'll likely traumatize kids until adulthood. This may sound like this idea led Scott Cawthon to create the popular horror game, "Five Nights at Freddy's", in 2014. However, it also stemmed from the negative feedback of his previous game, "Chipper & Sons Lumber Co." in which people called his main character "unintentionally scary". The first game's success and positive reception made it a terrifying classic for gamers and streamers, showcasing that listening to feedback can make a difference in their projects. It spawned several sequels and a film adaptation that went through several phases of development before settling with the version we got. It's been a long time coming for the game's fans waiting to experience Freddy Fazbear's rampage on the big screen. But for general moviegoers, it seemed like a suitable option to watch during the Halloween weekend. With that said, let's head inside the entertainment center of terror and see if it's worth spending five nights there. The story follows Mike Schmidt (Hutcherson), a troubled security guard searching for a job to provide for him and his younger sister, Abby (Rubio). He eventually accepts a night-time job from his career counselor, Steve Raglan (Lillard), at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a once-successful family entertainment center that's been abandoned for years. Mike is tasked to guard the restaurant and its animatronic mascots after hours. However, he later discovers that his night shift is far from an easy paycheck, thanks to the building's frightening secret. Mike learns that the mascots—Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy—are alive, and they kill anyone that's still around after midnight. As a result, Mike attempts to survive his new job and solve the chilling mystery behind the mascots' history. I occasionally play video games during my spare time, but if there's one genre I'll never touch, it's horror. Horror games surprisingly tend to freak me out more than the horror movies I watch, especially the first-person ones. While I haven't experienced it myself, seeing someone else play them is enough for me to just stick with the films. That explains why I haven't played a single "Five Nights at Freddy's" installment prior to the movie. I've only seen a few clips of the games, and they're enough to know that I wouldn't be able to handle them regarding its infamous jump scares and unsettling character designs. They even made me glad I was old enough to eat at a big boy restaurant. Regardless, I was eager to watch the film adaptation, especially since Hollywood may have finally broken its video-game-adaptation curse, thanks to Mario and "The Last of Us". After experiencing, or in this case, surviving "Five Nights at Freddy's", it's safe to say that it's not entirely free from this issue yet. While some of its choices may not please everybody, the movie is a fine piece of PG-13 horror entertainment that's as delectable as a piece of pizza. If you're expecting another straightforward horror movie involving one-dimensional characters getting killed by supernatural forces, you might be surprised how wrong you are. "Five Nights at Freddy's" has several moments that go bump in the night, even the ones that push the boundaries of its teen rating, which should satisfy plenty of teens and the game's fans. However, it also has a surprising amount of meat in its plot and characters to accompany its bleak and creepy presentation. I would describe "Five Nights at Freddy's" as more of a character-driven horror drama about Mike's grief over the abduction of his younger brother, Garrett (Lucas Grant). His PTSD made Mike uneasy, leaving people, mainly his aunt Jane (Masterson), to question his role as Abby's guardian. Amid its by-the-numbers supernatural plot, the film focuses on Mike's obsession with finding Garrett's kidnapper during his new job, only to eventually discover what really matters. You didn't expect a film about murderous animatronics to be that deep, did you? Well, it did, and the result was not that bad. It has a few enjoyable moments that are subtly spooky and fittingly atmospheric, including the sequence where the animatronics kill its victims. But, it also has moments that made me care about its characters, especially Mike and Abby, more so than in the recent "Exorcist" installment. But, of course, it isn't without its malfunctions that kept it from being a show-stopper. Besides its familiar horror cliches and unanswered plot details, the film has some minor issues with its pacing. Despite being under two hours, the film's focus on developing its human characters can have specific people impatiently waiting for the real stars to put on a show: Freddy Fazbear and his animatronic crew. It's slow during a couple of scenes, but it's never to the point where it becomes a lifeless bore due to Mike's arc. It also suffered a bit from its twist in the third act, which I saw coming a mile away, but it's not enough to take away my experience with it. The film was my first experience with Emma Tammi's direction, who's no stranger to horror thanks to her work on "The Wind". While I wouldn't call her direction unique, I thought she did all right with capturing the grim aesthetic of the source material, although its tonal shift in the second act can be a bit off-putting despite giving me a chuckle or two. I would also credit her for relying on practical effects for the animatronics instead of taking shortcuts with CGI. Jim Henson's Creature Shop was responsible for bringing Freddy and his crew to life through its puppetry and stunt performers, and the result is pretty impressive. The addition of franchise creator Scott Cawthon as a co-writer and co-producer also helped maintain the elements that worked in the franchise, including the animatronic designs and the first game's concept. As for its scares, it's no surprise that it wasn't as frightening as the franchise's jump scare sequences. There were a couple of them that made me jump, including the balloon boy. However, none of those "jump scares" could compare to the animatronics appearing out of nowhere and killing you while screaming your ears off like a banshee after it stubbed its toe. The cast also did a decent job with their performances, including Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt. It has been a long time since I've seen Hutcherson in anything, maybe a good six years or so? His portrayal of Mike's subtle yet troubling personality reminded me why I've enjoyed the actor since 2005. His presence in a few family movies I've seen in the 2000s was admirable, but he also proved to be a good dramatic actor in his recent films, including the "Hunger Games" franchise. His role in "Five Nights at Freddy's" is a suitable example of the latter. Elizabeth Lail, known for playing Anna in ABC's "Once Upon a Time", was also respectable as Vanessa, the police officer who befriends Mike. Piper Rubio was okay as Abby, even though her dialogue was a bit forced at times. Finally, we have Matthew Lillard as Steve Raglan, Mike's career counselor. This is the first time I've seen Lillard in a film in years, as I've only known him from "Scream" and the live-action "Scooby-Doo" movies that resulted in him being the recent voice of Shaggy in the direct-to-video animated outings. His performance as Steve doesn't come close to topping his career-best work as Shaggy, but it was passable at best. Overall, "Five Nights at Freddy's" survives most of its narrative and teen-rated trappings to provide some enjoyment from its character-driven story and creepy-as-hell animatronics. Its scares are very few in between, and the plot is far from original, save for a heartfelt moment or two. However, I wouldn't be quick to call it one of the worst video game adaptations ever. I can understand why not a lot of people would love it regarding its flaws, but I refuse to believe that it's as bad or dull as "Exorcist: Believer". I was mildly entertained by its spookiness, the cast, and even the practical effects. More importantly, I appreciated its effort in providing a tolerable substance in the franchise's simplistic concept, even if some of its thematic elements weren't as effective as others. Several fans of the popular franchise might enjoy it for the easter eggs and maybe some surprise cameos. The rest of the moviegoing public would find it a fine selection for Halloween viewing. However, if you don't like the games it's based on, you're better off looking for a new security job elsewhere. C+
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