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Five Night’s at Freddys title and characters, illustration by Braden Baltazar.

 Five Nights At Freddy’s is an indie-horror game franchise that is regaining popularity as a result of the new film coming out on October 27, which has left the audience in much anticipation. Fans and others alike have been looking forward to the release of the FNAF movie for two years, fans and interested parties alike, have high expectations for both visuals and graphics.  As the creator Scott Cawthon said, in the polygon website,”With each game’s release, I think the expectations get higher and higher for the next, and rightfully so.”

 Diverse groups of people are invested in this franchise because of their personal experiences with FNAF. The game’s original demographic was not limited to just one group but meant for all ages to enjoy according to the screengeek website. The Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is being held to higher standards as a result of having a widespread fan base, consisting of children, young adults, teens, and even within adults. “I watched them (FNAF) when I was a kid, it was a phase,” Juan Ramos, a middle schooler said.

 The first game was released in August 2014, and as a result of its unique gaming experience, it gained popularity almost instantaneously. The general walkthrough of the first game is that players start as the night guard for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, and their goal is to survive the entire night, 12:00 a.m – 6 a.m.

 Night guards are provided a flashlight, their movement is limited to sitting in an office chair and overlooking the cameras, which help them oversee the entire pizzeria. As the night progresses, players must keep tabs on the animatronics (robot mascots) that like to wander around the pizzeria. 

Their goal is to reach the players office and consume you, while the individuals’ is to stay alive and keep them away from said office by using specific tactics to “fool” them. Not all “fooling” methods work for each character, how to win the game is by surviving all five nights at the pizzeria at the end of each night, players receive a reward of a check. In addition to that, if players finish all five nights there is a bonus night! Over time the games gain a consistently growing audience due to the continuous new games and updates to be released, along with different characters. The main characters or animatronics, consist of a band made up of four; Freddy Fazbear, the lead singer, Chica, backup singer, Bonnie, lead guitarist, and Foxy, out of order. There are many other characters that appear later in games that fans are hopeful to see such as Springtrap, who people are,”…excited to see because he’s one of the more scary ones.,” described Nathalie and Jade, Juniors. 

The movie is exceptionally big and the excitement is increasing day by day. A growing fanbase that has continued to this day in 2023, which is why many across the world are looking forward to the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie appearance. 

  The audience is enthused to see familiar faces appear in the movie (seen as per trailers). The cast includes peculiar members such as Matthew Lillard, known for his role in Scream as Stu, and Josh Hutcher, known in Hunger Games as Peeta. Along with being partnered up with the Blumhouse company, notoriously known for producing famous horror movies: The Purge, Get Out, Us, The Conjuring, and more, as seen per the Blumhouse studio website. The horror movie even features a cameo from YouTuber Coryxkenshin; who helped shine a light on the franchise in 2015 with gameplay; as a taxi driver (shown in the trailer). Cory isn’t the only YouTuber who has influenced the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, YouTubers such as Markiplier, MatPat, and more have done walkthroughs, gameplays, and go more in-depth compared to just what the eye sees, lore, graphics wise.

 As discovered, most people found these YouTubers at a young age or played when the first few games were released. As for the movie, a student, Jovani, goes on to say,”…the main person that started the whole FNAF lore, William Afton. I’m expecting him, along with other characters…,” when asked what he is hoping to see in the movie. “…Maybe about how the spirits of the dead kids go into the electronics…,” said Carlos Aguilar, a freshman, one of the many things that are expected of this movie.

  The game Five Nights at Freddy’s was a big part of a majority of people’s childhoods, along with their personal experiences with the game. “This movie is fulfilling people’s childhood dreams.” according to Gear, a sophomore on campus. This phrase was essential to multiple people due to having experiences with the game as children.

 Fans and interested parties alike are enthralled seeing and hearing production leaks, or rumors centering around the movie and the plot. Along with the animation and more specifically, referring to the more violent side of the game deaths. The audience is hoping to see graphics along the lines of gore, but it is not entirely confirmed as the movie itself is rated PG-13 as listed on the Blumhouse official website. 

There aren’t many leaks as far as the audience knows, most of the trailers left the fans up to interpret and analyze. As far as the audience, we can confirm, this film will include a collaboration between Universal and Blumhouse production studios. Along with the confirmation of cast and release date, October 27. 

 The audience is hoping to see a variety of different characters and essential lore from the main plot of the Five Nights at Freddy’s games incorporated in the movie. Alongside that, the people want to see the darker and gloomier side of FNAF, meaning important deaths, cannon events, and their favorite moments! Although there has been limited information presented to the public, fans can expect the best out of the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. With this movie, this is Scott Cawthon’s goodbye to the franchise, the creator of FNAF is leaving the franchise in the hands of others. Through this movie, he hopes to bring back fans to that nostalgic feeling and bring this story to life through the big screen.