Championing psychological horror over bloodletting gore lowers the rating but ups the ante.

Battling childhood trauma, Mike (Josh Hutchinson) can’t manage to hold down a job, threatening the welfare of his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio) for whom he is solely responsible. Their Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) wants custody of Abby — and any state funds that come with it — including plans to get Mike fired to make him appear even more dysfunctional. Down on his luck, Mike takes a desperate night security position at the defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a relic of the 1980s stocked with aged video game consoles and an anthropomorphic band of mechanical characters. When local beat cop Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) takes an unnatural interest in Mike’s wellbeing and success in his new job, the mysteries of Fazbear’s begin to unravel in ways he could never have imagined… and they’re about to get worse.

The popular 2014 video game phenomenon finally gets the big screen treatment. Game writer and creator Scott Cawthorn co-wrote the screenplay with Seth Cuddleback for a film directed by Emma Tammi. Older generations of horror fans equate the name “Freddy” with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and it’s more than interesting all the dream-stalker elements to Five Nights as well. In spite of having Universal and Blumhouse money, the production touts creature effects from the Jim Henson company, bringing a practical effects approach to the inhabitants of Freddy’s — yep, they’re now technically Muppets (you were thinking it). It’s no secret there’s a built-in audience perfect for a late Halloween weekend feature targeting the generation most likely to plunk down a dime to see it, but is it enough to jumpstart a sleepy and hollow box office sans Taylor Swift?

The worst thing about Freddy’s cinematic debut may be the money left on the table with a simultaneous release streaming on Peacock, but that doesn’t always translate into a bad box office. In other words, it’s pretty good! Fans have said it’s a decent translation to the screen, almost ninety percent of what fans expect with a couple of twists. For those who don’t know what’s coming waiting for the carnage to start, the first act seems rather slow with the introductions, but the final act hinges on those setups to work. Similar to the Ringu remake The Ring, a lot more is implied than shown, and while less effective than Samara crawling out of a broken television, Freddy’s holds its own and delivers a quick spooky season fix to fans old (the kids) and new (the adults).

Mathew Lillard lends his horror pedigree to the production, but the only standout performance other than a carnivorous cupcake is Piper Rubio as Abby, who doesn’t come into her own until the other bloody shoe drops. It would be remiss not to mention the 2020 Nic Cage vehicle Willy’s Wonderland when talking about animatronic pizzeria horror fare — is this really a genre now? In the same way that certain tropes in Freddy’s certainly feels borrowed from earlier horror fare, Willy’s is the racy R-rated country cousin who takes the gloves off for a no-holds-barred “Cage” match, going all the places Freddy’s can only hint about. While Willy’s beat Freddy’s to the theatrical punch, the inspirations are all there, making for an interesting back-to-back double feature opportunity following Freddy’s up with Willy’s for pure catharsis.

Since Freddy’s made its video game debut, there have been sequels, novels, and tie-ins galore, so a win here will guarantee further Fazbear adventures in the future. We’re unlikely to get a Willy’s sequel, so maybe Freddy’s can fill that gaping hole in our black hearts later on. Speaking of haunted and/or cursed animatronics, can we all agree the 2022 Spirit Halloween movie was really bad?

Five Nights at Freddy’s is rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images, language, and an appropriate lack of a Nic Cage’s Willy.

Three skull recommendation out of four