Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

No Mubi Monday this week. I hope this shiny new film being reviewed will make up for it, especially when Mubi has a lot less horror movie content than most of the other big streaming services.

Based on the popular videogame series by Scott Cawthon, something I have very limited knowledge of (having seen it in passing during a time when my youngest daughter was a fan), Five Nights At Freddy's feels like it has been a long time coming. In fact, it took so long to be turned into a movie that we've already had a couple of films covering similar territory (one, Willy's Wonderland, more directly than the other, The Banana Splits Movie).

The main plot here is quite simple, as you might expect from a screenplay adapting a simple videogame. Josh Hutcherson plays Mike, a young man who ends up taking a job as a security guard at the long-abandoned Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant. The place used to be a popular venue for children wanting to eat some food while enjoying the impressive animatronics. And then the horrible event happened, something that viewers find out as the film plays out, and as Mike starts to find himself in increasing danger. It's not just Mike that Mike wants to keep safe though. It's also his much younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). But there maybe something in Freddy's that wants Abby to join in with the fun and games.

Directed by Emma Tammi, who also helped to co-write the screenplay with Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback, I am sure of two things about Five Nights At Freddy's. First of all, it should please fans of the game series. Second, it's not very good. I didn't hate it, largely because I like Hutcherson (and I am also a fan of Matthew Lillard and Mary Stuart Masterson, both here in enjoyable supporting roles), but I never once felt properly drawn into the onscreen world. I know enough about the source material to recognise various details transplanted from game to film, and I am sure that there were many extra touches that went completely over my head, and staying faithful enough to the videogames (which, and please correct me if I am wrong, involve people spending a lot of time toggling between security cameras to keep enemies at bay) seems to have been a stumbling block when it comes to making a satisfying movie. 

As well as those already mentioned, the other main character here is Vanessa, played by Elizabeth Lail. For as much as I liked everyone else, some more than others, Lail is sadly unable to do much with a character that feels more awkwardly shoehorned in than anyone else. She delivers some exposition, offers potential friendship to Hutcherson's character, and becomes increasingly involved in the second half of the movie in a way that makes her feel more like an interloper than someone worth rooting for. There are also supporting turns from Kat Conner Sterling, Michael P. Sullivan, David Lind, and Christian Stokes, but none of them are as memorable as the animatronics. Which is probably an extra way to keep fans happy.

As for the character and production design, all seems well. I know how recognisable and iconic the main characters are, they're enjoyably creepy and believable, and the film knows that the most important element is getting them exactly right. Tammi, working on something that's quite a change in direction from the other film I have seen helmed by her (The Wind, 2018), doesn't get much else right though, sadly. Things aren't bloody enough to make up for a lack of fun, nor are they fun enough to make up for a lack of blood. And someone forgot to tell people to make sure that the lighting levels are right, resulting in a number of scenes that will leave viewers squinting at murky, and almost impenetrable, visuals. 

The other big problem here is the runtime. It's not wildly excessive, but 109 minutes feels a bit too long. Things aren't helped by the backstory for Mike, all to do with a younger brother who went missing years ago, when the film would be greatly improved by keeping things more streamlined and simple.

A lot of people will enjoy Five Nights At Freddy's. There's a huge fanbase already looking forward to welcoming it into their lives with open arms. I thought it was okay. The central idea, buried here under a lot of extraneous material, is a very good one, and the familiar faces in the cast helped to make it easier to sit through as I waited for the underwhelming third act to finish up. You know a horror movie isn't great when you find yourself wishing it had contained a few more jump scares.

4/10

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