Starting from an indie horror game, Five Nights at Freddy’s has taken over the world as one of the most recognizable and played horror games of all time with the memorable villains being the animatronics that are programmed to attack the player at night. Created by Scott Cawthon, the games follow a security guard working the night shift at Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria which has been shut down for years, only to not be exactly what it seems. Since its debut on August 8, 2014, the first video game in the series has been a global hit allowing for the franchise to be pitched as a movie to be brought to the big screen.
The franchise went on to have nine games released that all went on to be very successful on STEAM, an online website to buy video games. The release of the first game connected with the rise of gaming culture on YouTube, and creators like PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, and Markiplier, all prominent gamers in the industry, earned millions of views by playing Five Nights at Freddy’s. The incredible reactions to the jumpscares and the feeling of not being able to move throughout the first game allowed for the game to rise in popularity allowing for the franchise to grow.
The first announcement for this franchise was pitched years ago in April 2015, but Five Nights at Freddy’s has been set back due to several factors, including crew changes and drastic script modifications. Five Nights at Freddy’s is now to be released on October 27, 2023 but has been shaped by this string of various setbacks. Cawthorn has stressed the importance of the script staying true to the gameplay for it to stay recognizable and nostalgic.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the release of this movie, but with expectations so high, many are worried about whether or not the adaptation will meet the standard of the fanbase. However, after seeing the character designs at the Blumhouse event during Universal Horror Nights, fans have been pleased with the designs of the animatronics and the main antagonists in the movie, and hopes are high for the movie to be a success.
The movie has already made back its budget by making over 25 million dollars in pre-ticket sales. Jason Blum, the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, has already said that if the movie plummets at the box office, they have already made the production money back.
After years of waiting, Five Nights at Freddy’s is ready to hit the theaters and scare people with animatronics once again.
