The Five Nights at Freddy’s video game franchise has enticed both younger and older audiences since its release in 2014. For years, fans have delved deep into the lore behind both the games and books. With popular YouTube creators such as Markiplier or MatPat sharing their own theories or gameplay, the franchise has taken over pop culture. When Blumhouse Productions announced it would be releasing a Five Nights at Freddy’s movie on Oct. 27, fans were thrilled.
Five Nights at Freddy’s fans have a reputation for their numerous theories on the actual story of the games. When the movie was announced, most fans like myself believed we would finally be getting confirmation of our own fan-made universe, that maybe all the years of theorizing would be proven true. However, in a Reddit post from Scott Cawthon, the creator of the video game franchise, he alerted fans that the movie would not entirely follow what they had dubbed as the true storyline, and it would instead follow the “Mike script.”
In the game franchise, the character Mike Schmidt is a security guard and the main protagonist. Mike tries to survive five nights at “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza,” and has to avoid encounters with the different animatronics trying to kill him throughout the night. There are five animatronics. There’s Foxy, Chica, Freddy, Bonnie and Balloon boy. Although Balloon Boy isn’t in the first game, Cawthon and Blumhouse added him in because he was a fan favorite in the games, plus the addition of Golden Freddy. In the video game Mike is the son of the main antagonist, William Afton. In my opinion, this is one of the most important aspects of the fan-made story. Fans liked the idea of Mike being the son of William Afton because it makes the storyline more interesting and creative. The entire reason why Mike got the job is because of his family’s experience with the animatronics. The animatronics each represent one kid who William Afton had killed. The animatronics are controlled by the kids’ spirits due to their dead body’s being stuffed in them. The reason they try to attack Mike in the games is because they are vengeful.
However in the movie, Mike Schmidt is simply the brother of one of William Afton’s victims. William in the movie goes by the name of Steve Raglan so he isn’t easily recognized. Steve is supposed to help Mike find a Job but when he realizes who he is he says that there’s only one job that would be available for him. Mike only gets the job because he is desperate and is in need of money, it has nothing to do with his family’s connection with Freddy’s. Many fans have theorized if this is the true story that Cawthon intended.
Many fans note that the movie follows the book series, which are mostly unknown to fans who do not follow the lore closely. In its entirety, the movie encapsulates aspects of the books and games in its own unique story to fulfill a long-awaited film.
Overall, many fans were content with the movie. I think many fans, including myself, were hoping to see the majorly accepted fan storyline be adapted into film. Even though this was not the case, most were happy to see a childhood obsession be adapted to the big screen. It was still an interesting storyline that included monumental parts of the game. Cawthon and Blumhouse intend to continue and finish the trilogy, so the anticipation returns for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. If there’s one thing we know about Scott, it’s that he always comes back.
