Five Nights at Freddy’s (film)

Five Nights at Freddy’s is an American horror slasher film directed by Jason Blum and based on the 2014 video game with the same name. The film is produced by Universal Studios and distributed by Blumhouse Productions. It stars Paul Rudd and Michael Keaton as the Knight Guard and the Purple Guy.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 14, 2017. The film was a box office success, grossing $700 million against a $200 million budget, and received critical acclaim for its plot, casting, performances, gore, and fittingness to the source material. The film sparked a franchise.

Plot
In 1987, a restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza experiences a horrific legend as a man named William Afton (Michael Keaton), also known as the Purple Guy, lures children into bathrooms and slaughters them. He then discovers one kid that didn’t come and hacks an old Animatronic named Fredbear into biting the child, killing him brutally.

4 Years Later, Mike Schmidt (Paul Rudd) searches for a job. He then sees a commercial for a restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and applies for a job there. He then reads online about the Bite of ‘87, a horrific event that took place four years ago. He then gets a call from Phone Guy (Scott Cawthon), an old employee from the original restaurant, who says that the Boss accepted his application and got the job.

At Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, Mike discovers the animatronics - Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Chicken, and Foxy the Pirate Fox - and goes to his Office, where he will be spending the entire week alone. He discovers that he has to survive until 6 AM from Midnight and begins his Nightly chores.

He checks on the Cameras and discovers that one of the Animatronics, Bonnie, has moved from where he is supposed to be. He finds Bonnie on his way to the Office and locks the door. Chica then comes to attack and Foxy stays in his place while Freddy laughs on Stage. Knight Guard survives the Night and begins to regret applying for the job.

Mike then meets up with his Boss (Rob Riggle) at a bar to discuss the Animatronics move. The Boss reveals that the kids that Afton killed four years ago are trapped inside the Animatronics and believe that every Security Guard is Afton. The Animatronics plot to kill Mike as they believe that he is related to Afton. Mike then goes home and prepares for his second night at the restaurant.

At the Restaurant, Mike goes for his second night and Phone Guy reveals that Foxy starts to move on the second night. Mike is then almost killed by Foxy as Bonnie and China corner him in the Hallways. He then walks out of the Office after they leave, discovering graffiti on the walls that says “It’s me”. Mike then overhears Chica in the kitchen as he is attacked by Chica and Bonnie. He then discovers a fifth Animatronic named Golden Freddy as he hears Child Laughter. Mike escapes the Animatronics.

On the Third Night, Freddy begins to move and prepares to kill Mike, who blocks every door and begins to lose power. Bonnie, Chica and Foxy corner the Office as Mike sneaks out through the Vents. Mike then discovers that the Power goes out and sneaks through the Restaurant to restore it. As he arrives, Golden Freddy tries to kill him. Golden Freddy leaves for an unknown reason. Mike sees a shadow and runs out of the Office as his Shift ends.

The Next Day, Mike discusses with his Boss about the Shadow he saw and he is knocked out unexpectedly. Mike wakes up in an unknown location as the Boss is revealed to be a Thug who works for Afton, who reveals himself as Mike’s father. Mike escapes dreadfully and prepares for his final night at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, as his fourth knight was taken over by Phone Guy.

Mike returns to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza for one final battle. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Golden Freddy are revealed to have been controlled by Afton, who prepares to kill Mike. Mike fights the Animatronics as Afton arrives and tries to kill him. Mike kicks Afton and accidentally sets the restaurant on fire, ending his Shift once and for all. Afton is burned in the fire and the Animatronics are destroyed.

Mike is fired, but happy. He lives out the rest of his days in the house as he watches the News, which shows the Fire at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The Animatronics are revealed to have survived, but been destroyed to be recreated as different and innocent animatronics. Mike then turns off the TV and goes to find a new job.

In a mid-credit scene, Afton is revealed to have survived the attack, but has been arrested. He prepares to kill Mike and get revenge.

Cast
Additionally, Yoon Ho, George Osborne, Darbi Logan, and Joe Gaudet reprise their roles as the voices of Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Chicken, and Foxy the Pirate Fox, respectively. Scott Cawthon, the creator of the game series, also reprises his role as Phone Guy for the film. Also, Rob Riggle makes an appearance as the Boss for the film, respectively.
 * Paul Rudd as Mike Schmidt, the new Knight Guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza who has to survive five nights against evil animatronics.
 * Michael Keaton as William Afton, an infamous serial killer who kidnaps children and created the Animatronics that attack Mike.

Production
Warner Bros. Pictures announced in April 2015 that it had acquired the series' film rights, with Roy Lee, David Katzenberg, and Seth Grahame-Smith scheduled to produce. Grahame-Smith said that they would collaborate with Cawthon "to make an insane, terrifying and weirdly adorable movie". In July 2015, Gil Kenan signed to direct the adaptation and co-write it with Tyler Burton Smith.

In January 2016, Cawthon said that due to "problems within the movie industry as a whole", the film "was met with several delays and roadblocks" and was "back at square one". He promised "to be involved with the movie from day one this time, and that's something extremely important to me. I want this movie to be something that I'm excited for the fanbase to see. Cawthon tweeted a picture of Blumhouse Productions in March of that year, implying that the film had a new production company. Producer Jason Blum confirmed the news two months later, saying that he was excited about working closely with Cawthon on the adaptation. Later in February, it was announced that Paul Rudd and Michael Keaton would be cast in the film, with the original voice actors of the animatronics from the video games reprising their roles for the film.

Filming took place between May 2016 and December 2016. A trailer was released in January 2017.

Reception
The film received critical acclaim for its plot, casting, performances, gore, and fittingness to the source material. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 95% score, based on 285 reviews, with an average rating of 8.66/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Five Nights at Freddy’s’ first feature film easily lives up to its name and succeeds as a haunted thrill ride that fans of the video games will enjoy.” On an A+ to F Scale, the film received an “A+”.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 14, 2017. It was also released digitally on September 22, 2017, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 10, 2017.

Franchise
Main article: Five Nights at Freddy’s (franchise)

The film’s success led to a franchise, which consists of four films, nine video games, and one television series.