Back in 2014, history was made… at least in my life. Game designer Scott Cawthon released a game called “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” It was an indie horror game based around watching security cameras at a haunted pizza place. Cawthon had planned on this being the last game he created, but due to popularity he continued to make games. Part of the reason this series became so popular was due to the lore and how convoluted it was. FNAF gained a ginormous fan base that only continued to grow. 

Now, after 13 games and 28 books, a movie has been released. On Oct. 27, the official “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie was released after eight years of waiting and hearing about fake updates on the production. 

There is one thing to take into account when watching this movie, if you’re a hardcore fan: this movie was never meant to canonically align with the games. Cawthon himself helped make the movie, so it’s futile to argue what’s canonical with the literal creator of the game. You have to look at this movie from the viewpoint of the novels in “The Silver Eyes” saga. Then, the movie makes a lot more sense. 

Even with its cheesy, awkward lines, I loved this movie so much. It has a great plot, though I can kind of get where people say it was dragged out. The animatronics looked so cool, just like I imagined they would look like in real life. The casting was spot on; Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schimdt and Matthew Lillard as William Afton was jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, and a complete dream come true. 

After I left the theater, I was in shock that I had just seen my whole childhood come to life. It was like the best dream and all I wanted to do was go back into that theater and rewatch it again and again and again. I felt like a little kid again, which is kind of a weird statement to say after watching a movie where a bunch of kids were murdered. 

I personally loved this movie, even though it received quite a lot of hate due to the difference from the games. I think all FNAF fans should at least give this movie a chance. It’ll never be good if you don’t watch the full thing. 

I rate the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie 5 out of 5 cardinal heads.