ALEX GILES
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
SCOTT SPARKS
LAYOUT EDITOR
11/20/2023
The new Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie is a far cry from what original fans are used to. There have been many changes between the original games and the movie, and most of these changes are for the worse.
If someone was familiar with the game series, they would understand the only thing these machines want to do is kill. This is not the case when it comes to the film.
There are scenes where the machines decide to become friends with Abby, the protagonist’s younger sister, and build a fort. Back in 2014, the first installment of the FNAF video game came out and it haunted children for a long time. This haunting characteristic is what many fans were expecting when going into the theater, not anything friendly.
One of the worst parts of the movie is the interaction between Mike and Venessa. There is a constant romantic tension that goes nowhere. In one scene, they are all having fun and building a fort; however, in the next scene, Venessa is threatening to shoot Mike for bringing his sister to the pizzeria. The only part where Venessa’s existence makes sense is at the climax where Venessa confronts her father, the antagonist.
This fight between Venessa and her father, Michael Afton, seemed like something out of a Power Rangers episode. It had many quips that made the fight seem less serious and it stopped fans from taking the climax seriously. The only similarity between the film and the games is how the antagonist dies, which is also lackluster.
The writing in the film feels forced when the secondary antagonist, the aunt, comes on screen. She does nothing but add an annoyance to the story which has no sustainable resolve. The addition of irrelevant characters seems useless and sloppy.
These characters are very bland. There are many that were introduced just to add some extra screen time. A great example of this is Garret, Mike’s younger brother. Garret doesn’t exist in the game and does nothing in the film. Sure, Garett gives Mike something to think about while on the job, but with or without him, Mike still would have had the same outcome.
With all of this said, it is evident that the FNAF film adaptation is a shot in the dark by Blumhouse.
LOTTIE CARMAN
LAYOUT EDITOR
The new Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie was released in theaters on Oct. 27 and has had much debate since its release.
Growing up, I played a few versions of Five Nights at Freddy’s, but I mostly just knew of the video game itself. When it was announced that there would be a movie coming out, it seemed obvious that there were two routes that the director could take: a true horror movie that is rated R or a PG–13 movie that focuses on the storyline.
Especially since the audience members are likely to consist of younger faces, the choice of having a PG-13-rated movie seems to be the most realistic choice, and it clearly paid off. The casting of Josh Hutcherson as Mike was an absolute breath of fresh air. Not only was his performance genuine, but his familiar face attracted Millennials and members of Gen Z to the theaters.
The horror that was presented in the movie was one of the best that I have seen for a PG13-rated horror movie. As much as I love gore and psychological thrillers, this movie truly did not disappoint even though some of the horror aspects are more toned down. We see Max’s body being chomped in half by Freddy, as well as violence and manipulation of children. The scene of Mike watching Abby play with the animatronics further plays into the psychological horror.
Although I do not personally know much about the FNAF lore, I do understand that a singular movie would not be able to cover all content within the storyline of the video games.
The storyline that was given in the movie fit as much complexity of the video games as possible, but also gave enough context so that those who know very little about the original lore can still enjoy. I think this movie is perfect for a multitude of audiences to watch.
The Almanian: News 
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