(Updated 10/09/2023)
Working a late-night job can be mind-numbing, especially if you're alone and seemingly cut off from the world. The indie video game "Five Nights at Freddy's," which became such a cult hit that it spawned many sequels, begins with that idea, then throws murderous animatronic monsters into the equation to spice things up.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY's adapts the first game in the series, with a few ideas imported from sequels, to present an unnerving horror experience. Take a look at the latest trailer below, and we'll tell you what to expect from this long-gestating video game adaptation.
When Does Five Nights at Freddy's Come Out?
Universal Pictures will release FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S in movie theatres on October 27.
Watch the Five Nights at Freddy's Trailer
The concept here is presented in straightforward fashion: A man is hired to act as the overnight watchman for a shuttered pizza place. Like real-world chains such as Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese, this restaurant was designed as a party central for kids, complete with a cast of four animatronic animal characters.
As the watchman discovers, those animatronics wander the halls at night, and they are not friendly! How, exactly does this happen? We expect to learn, but maybe it's best to focus on the freaky premise more than the how and why.
How Close to the Games Is the Five Nights at Freddy's Movie?
We don't know yet! One thing is almost certain, however: The movie will probably wander through the location a lot more than the games do.
The first "Five Nights at Freddy's" game set up the series premise as players are basically confined to one room. Video cameras, lights and windows help illuminate spaces outside the room, but the game is almost a strategy challenge as players have to conserve power for important moments while using cameras and windows to keep a constant lookout for the roaming animatronics.
The original games doled out lore and backstory slowly, and the trailers suggest that the movie will clue audiences in much faster — and through a larger suite of characters than we get in any one game.
Those decisions were ultimately all made by game creator Scott Cawthorn, who put together the screen story. He also said that the first three games are the only ones reflected in the movie. "The games after ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 3’ will not exist in the movie universe,” he said in 2018.
Who's in the Five Nights at Freddy's Cast?
Josh Hutcherson (THE HUNGER GAMES) plays Mike Schmidt, the somewhat desperate guy who takes a job that probably should have been red-flagged as sketchy long before his first shift. Piper Rubio plays Abby, who accompanies Mike to work. (Bad idea.) Matthew Lillard (SCREAM) plays the guy who sets Mike up with the job, and who consequently knows more about the situation than he seems to know. And Mary Stuart Masterton plays an antagonist of some sort.
Elizabeth Lail and Kat Conner Sterling also have roles.
Who Made the Five Nights at Freddy's Movie?
A movie based on the game series has been in development for a long time. Warner Bros. was putting something together, but it ended up in the hands of horror producer Jason Blum. Throughout the process, game creator Scott Cawthorn has been fully involved with the adaptation. He even set aside his own script for the first Blum-produced version in favor of exploring a story he liked better.
That was in 2018, when Chris Columbus (HARRY POTTER) was attached to direct. "I had a script written," Cawthorn said. "Jason [Blum] liked it, and Chris Columbus liked it too, but I tossed it. I had a different idea for it, one that I liked better. I take responsibility for this delay; it’s my fault."
It's been five years — a long delay — but now the movie is here! Emma Tammi, who made documentaries before moving into feature films with THE WIND in 2018, directed based on a script by Cawthorn that Seth Cuddleback and Tammi also helped shape.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S opens on October 27.
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.