Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a Blumhouse film. This year they present Five Nights At Freddy’s, an adaptation of the famous game created by Scott Cawthon (who this time co-wrote the script with Emma Tammi and Seth Cuddleback) about animatronic mascots who don’t seem to be just ordinary inanimate objects.
The main character is Mike (Josh Hutcherson) who is forced to accept a job as a security guard at an abandoned pizza place in order to be a responsible older brother. Before accepting a job with this completely unfun work schedule, Mike was actually a mall security guard. He was fired because he ‘attacked’ a customer who he thought was a kidnapper even though he was just an ordinary gentleman. And because his parents died, Mike now has to be responsible for his little sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), so that she doesn’t fall into the hands of her aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson).
The mysterious room with CCTV wasn’t the only thing that haunted Mike when he worked at the pizza restaurant. According to reports, there are several small children who disappeared in this place and they have not been found. That’s why this place is closed. And maybe that’s why Mike has been having strange dreams lately. So what actually happened? As a horror film, Five Nights At Freddy’s has quite an interesting visual presentation. The 80’s feel is a bit campy and makes this film somehow have a strong nostalgic element. Compared to Totally Killer, a horror made by Blumhouse which was also released on Amazon Prime, this film looks prettier with striking colors.
Unfortunately, the most interesting part of this film is only in the packaging. Because in terms of content, Five Nights At Freddy’s seems confused about what film it wants to be. Five Nights At Freddy’s, like M3GAN, had the same problem with ratings. Aimed at teenagers and above, this film doesn’t feel scary at all. Even though M3GAN has the same rating, it at least has a villain who quickly becomes iconic. This film doesn’t have as strong of a mouth or personality as M3GAN.
The result is a mix of family drama, potato horror and cheap terror. Of course Five Nights At Freddy’s goes out of its way to surprise. Today’s horror is always obsessed with surprising the audience, whether it’s with a jump scare or a twist. If you often watch films (especially the horror genre), the presence of one of the characters will immediately make you suspicious of his motivations. Actually there is nothing with a surprise that is actually a cliche. It’s just that this film seems too comfortable with existing formulas, coupled with mediocre execution, the end result is a horror film that doesn’t have any bite at all.
Luckily this film has good command from Josh Hutcherson. Leave it to Hutcherson to appear as an ordinary person and he will quickly make the audience sympathize with whatever he does. Without his presence, the film might have been more disappointing than it needed to be. Five Nights At Freddy’s is not a bad film. It still offers an exciting viewing experience. There is some entertainment here and there. But if you’re looking for something to watch that will really have you gripping your cinema seat, Five Nights At Freddy’s isn’t the answer.
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