Mini Film Review – Five Nights At Freddy’s

I have just seen Five Nights at Freddy’s; and it was alright! Directed by Emma Tammi, and starring Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, and Elizabeth Lail, and based on the video game series of the same name; Five Nights at Freddy’s is a supernatural horror film, about a security guard who gets a night time job working at an abandoned family entertainment restaurant, whose main attraction is a group of animatronic animals. I personally have never played any of the video games. I have heard of them, and some light research has informed me what they are about, so I have some understanding of it. The main reason I decided to see it, is because of it’s rather awesome trailer. The film lacks subtlety. The first time you see one of the animatronics moving, it’s spooky certainly, sort of like the ending in the Forever episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; but you know it was going to happen. This whole film is about these out of control robots, you know they are going to run amok, you know the focus is on them; it’s not a big secret, so you are not shocked in any shape or form as to what happens, because you are already expecting that to happen. It’s like the original Westworld, you know it’s about the robots, so you can’t be shocked or surprised when the Robots do bad things, because again you were expecting them to do just that. What is slightly more surprising is at a point half-way through the film, when a different picture of the machines is painted, that suggests that they might be rather misunderstood, not bad by nature, but acting in self defence. This is quickly hushed up of course, leading to the predictable closure. But, instead of choosing a total bloodbath, the film creates a much more creative ending, one that whilst a little refreshing, rather stupidly chooses to be incredibly ambiguous in an attempt to try and setup a sequel, rather than provide full closure. So the horror aspect of this film is nowhere to be found, but what can be found is the human aspect. The relationships between Mike, Abbey, and Vanessa are so well done, and so realistic, they give a nice sweet little break from the predictable, showcasing another side to their lives (and secretly wish that this was a drama rather than a horror film). Altogether, Five Nights At Freddy’s has it’s moments. The animatronic characters are really cool to look at, the childlike friendships are really sweet, and the human drama is incredibly realistic; but if you are expecting frights, scares, and horrific shocks, you are going to get something that is sadly, just lightly spooky!