By: Megan Hastings

Center Editor

The movie adaption of Scott Cawthon’s viral 2014 horror video game, Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF), is set to come out on Oct. 27, after fans waited eight long years. The cast includes award-winning actors including Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard. Involved in the production is Emma Tammi, acting as both director and screenwriter, writing the screenplay alongside Cawthon.

Unfortunately, the process of getting the film on-screen took multiple years, with the initial development beginning back in 2015. Expected to produce the film were Roy Lee, David Katzenberg, and Seth Gramme-Smith backed by Warner Bros. Studios. After several delays, Warner Bros. pulled out of the production. In March of 2017, Blumhouse Production announced that they were the new company behind the movie, with Chris Columbus set to direct. Columbus later dropped out and was replaced by Tammi. 

While Five Nights at Freddy’s debuted as an indie horror game, its unique blend of survival horror, jump scares, and an intriguing storyline quickly propelled it into the mainstream. The game’s premise revolves around a night security guard tasked with monitoring animatronic characters at a fictional family restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. These animatronics come to life and become increasingly aggressive as the night progresses, creating a tense and terrifying gaming experience.

 Five Nights at Freddy’s is scheduled to be released simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock. The film tells the story of Mike Schmidt, who accepts a night-time job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza where he discovers four animatronic mascots. The premise is similar to the first game in the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, the success of which inspired thousands of fangames. Cawthon went on to create twelve other games, all of which contributed to a massive cult following.

Early box office projections place Five Nights at Freddy’s earnings up to 33-42 million dollars in its opening weekend and 60-90 million in its total opening week. A novelization of the movie is already underway, set to publish on Dec. 26, authored by the same writers of the film. 

As the FNAF movie inches closer to realization, fans have mixed expectations. Many hope to see their favorite animatronics, including Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, portrayed faithfully and with the same chilling presence they exude in the games. The film’s success will likely hinge on its ability to capture the essence of FNAF’s horror and storytelling without alienating newcomers to the franchise.

(Sources: Deadline, Variety, Collider)