This is why I never gamble.
I was almost certain that the movie for “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was too little, too late, especially now that a lot of the original fanbase had grown in to young adults by now. But surprisingly I was wrong as the long awaited adaptation of the classic video game managed to hit all the right chords. It’s one of the bigger video game movies of the last year, one of the biggest horror movie hits of the year, and garnered some great fan buzz. While I am not the original audience for “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” Emma Tammi taps back in to the rabid fan base by delivering what is primarily a faithful version of the video game.
In the year 2000, a desperate young man takes a job at an infamous, long-abandoned pizzeria with a dark past, bringing his little sister along. As they uncover the restless spirits and vengeful animatronics within, they must confront their own haunting memories. With the help of an enigmatic police officer, they battle to save their souls and unravel the sinister secrets lurking at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
Sadly, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” just isn’t the horror movie I was hoping it’d be. Along with failing to offer up any competent scares or frights, director Tammi spends too much time on a sub-plot involving child custody and pushes a lot of the mythology and terror of Freddy Fazbear in to the background for a good portion of the movie. I was so optimistic about this feature hoping for a scary, intense, and weird take on the originally frightening viral hit. Instead what we’re ultimately dealt is a watered down and fairly boring thriller that doesn’t utilize its selling point of the animatronics nearly enough. It’s sad since Jim Henson Studios are as amazing as ever.
Your mileage may vary depending on how long you’ve been a fan of the games, I guess.
The copy that we were sent includes the Digital Code for redemption, as well as a DVD Copy included with the Blu-Ray. Along with them, the features includes “Five Nights At Freddy’s: From Game To Big Screen,” a pretty standard behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews, set footage, and discussions about the film adaptation. The segment “Killer Animatronics” revolves around the amazing Jim Henson Creature Shop work and how they brought the legendary animatronic family to life. Finally, “Five Nights In Three Dimensions” centers around the production design for the film. Allegedly there’s a hidden segment within the hard copy, so be on the look out for that one.