Five Nights at Freddy's

7/10

In this new movie adaptation of the popular video game series that is airing simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock, Mike (played by the Hunger Games films' Josh Hutcherson) gets a job as a security guard at the closed down family restaurant Freddy Fazbear's Pizza where there is more to the dormant animatronic characters than first meets the eye. (I assume this takes place over five nights. I didn't count. I'll take the film's word on this.)

When it's being scary, the film captures what makes the games work. The animatronics, created mostly through practical puppet suits created by the Jim Henson Workshop, are unsettling, feeding on the fact that there is something uncanny about how animatronics move in an uncanny valley way. These characters were originally created on a low budget years ago and their designs were made to be simplistic and something that works in a video game. Some can make the argument that they don't look as close to the classic animatronics of the Show Biz Pizza/Chuck E. Cheese era, and that a game or movie could've been more scary if you had something like one of those. However, Fazbear and friends do have something about their simplicity and blocky appearances that feels imposing even when they're stationary.  

This isn't one of those movies that rely on characters in the shadows and the less-is-more formula. You see the animatronics a lot, and it works in this situation, because the constant hint of menace beneath the character's faces always intimidates. The kills in this are well done, and director Emma Tammi has a nice visual eye. I particularly like how the opening credits are: a solid way of delivering exposition while staying true to the feeling of the games.

The biggest downside of this movie is that the scary parts are few and far apart and there is a LOT of plot and backstory. The movie is fair to the lore of the games. However, the games slowly teased the backstory over several installments. Here, way too much is thrown at you. I think most would've preferred the simplicity of mostly taking place at the restaurant and having Mike just try to survive. Speaking of the guy, Mike has a dark past and present day personal troubles and has way too much on his plate. The movie could've cut down on all the personal issues. There are also a few plot holes.

That having been said, the script mostly works and I wasn't turned off. (You can't accuse this horror film of choosing style over story.) There are also a couple funny bits. 

The backstory to this movie does get dark. If you don't like violence against children, this won't be for you.

Hutcherson is convincing as poor Mike. He isn't in this much, but "why-isn't-this-guy-in-more-things" Matthew Lillard is clearly stealing the show with his delivery as the employment counselor Mike works with. You's Elizabeth Lail plays a cop that befriends Mike. She gets some of the worst dialogue and motivations to work with and while she isn't bad, she just isn't able to fully make it work.

Kinda recommended. The over-exhibition and darkness of the film won't be for everybody, but when it works it works, and I can honestly say that it does a have a bit of a different feel than a lot of other films.