Summary

Five Nights at Freddy’s is a basic horror film adaptation of the popular video game, with a simple story and lukewarm jumpscares. The film focuses on the relationship between the protagonist, Mike, and his sister Abby, while exploring the theme of letting go of past trauma. While not a great horror film, Five Nights at Freddy’s has heart, some mystery, and can be enjoyable if expectations aren’t too high.

Five Nights at Freddy’s adapts the video game of the same name from creator Scott Cawthon. In what seems like the first entry in a franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s is a simple story grounded by a solid performance by Josh Hutcherson as Mike, who gives a committed performance. The film’s backstory is pretty dark, but the horror itself isn’t particularly scary, with typical, lukewarm jumpscares and only the occasional pop of blood. Directed by Emma Tammi from a screenplay she co-wrote with Cawthon and Chris Lee Hill, Five Nights at Freddy’s delivers a basic story uplifted by the sibling dynamic and Mike’s personal journey. It’s fine for what it’s going for — just don’t expect to be wowed.

The film follows Mike (Hutcherson), a security guard who’s recently been fired from his mall job after beating a man he thought was kidnapping a child. Mike isn’t doing so well in general — he’s battling his aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) over custody of his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio) and he can’t seem to keep a job for long to make ends meet. Desperate, Mike takes a job as an overnight security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The place has been abandoned for years after children went missing in the 80s, but all Mike has to do is watch the place to make sure there are no trespassers. At night, Mike dreams about Garrett, who was kidnapped when they were kids. As Mike draws closer to finding out who took Garrett, he quickly realizes he’s not alone at Freddy’s, where the animatronics come to life at night and aren’t exactly friendly.

I can’t compare the film to the game because I haven’t played it, but the adaptation is fairly generic and very light on the horror. That said, Five Nights at Freddy’s isn’t a complete dud, and it’s quite enjoyable and interesting when it gets going. It starts off a bit slow, taking its time to set up Mike’s backstory and current situation, and this affects the pacing. But once Mike is set up at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), a local cop who knows more than she lets on, begins coming around, the story picks up and remains engaging the rest of the way through. As far as the horror goes, however, the animatronics are creepy enough, but they don’t do very much beyond standing around while looking menacing. The true horror comes from a third act reveal that is chilling.

What keeps the film grounded is the relationship between Mike and Abby, as well as its theme about letting go of what can’t be changed about past trauma to focus on the people who are currently in one’s life. It’s always lovely to see sibling relationships highlighted in a film, and it’s easy to feel for Mike’s struggle to be there for Abby while dealing with his own past. To that end, Josh Hutcherson delivers a great performance, displaying a range of emotion to convey Mike’s headspace. The actor portrays Mike as restless and jittery, his eyes focused while dreaming and distant while awake. Elizabeth Lail is also good as Vanessa, and the actress showcases her sweet but scared demeanor. Matthew Lillard’s Steve Raglan, who gives Mike the security job, is appropriately sly during his brief appearance, and Piper Rubio plays Abby with a kind gentleness that eludes the other characters.

Elizabeth Lail and Josh Hutcherson in Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy’s may not be a great horror film, but it is an enjoyable one if expectations aren’t too high. The film didn’t need to be nearly two hours long, but it’s got heart and some mystery thrown in, which help make up for the lack of genuine scares. The story itself is dark, and the animatronics creepy (even if they become less so for a while until the end). It’s not a strong enough film to warrant a sequel, as its finale suggests, but as far as middling entertainment goes, Five Nights at Freddy’s fits the bill.

Five Nights at Freddy’s releases in theaters and to Peacock October 27. The film is 110 minutes long and rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images and language.