With its initial release on August 8, 2014, the indie horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s is finally getting its own movie. Anticipation continues to build within the fanbase as the first official trailer for the movie was released on May 16th. While only 47 seconds, the trailer has been all over the internet, with fans making theories and guesses about the long-awaited film.

It was originally announced in 2015 with the involvement of Warner Bros Pictures; however, due to disagreements between studio directors and the creator of the games, Scott Cawthon, Warner Bros. dropped the project altogether. Cawthon made an announcement to all the disappointed fans, stating, “I’m involved with the movie from day one this time, and that’s something extremely important to me. I want this movie to be something I’m excited for the fanbase to see.” In March 2017, Cawthon’s luck began to change when he announced that Blumhouse Productions would pick up the project. Producer Jason Blum confirmed the announcement, sharing that he was “excited and working closely with Cawthon on the adaption.” While scraping scripts, changing directors, and scheduling conflicts caused significant delays in creating this film, the official release date has finally been announced: October 27, 2023.

The fanbase has been anxiously waiting for this movie for almost 9 years. With different theories pertaining to the underlying plot of the story, it will be interesting to see which direction Blumhouse Productions is going to take in the film. My personal theory, based on the trailer, is that the movie is going for a more emotional feeling than the games. The basic plot of the games goes much deeper than what appears on the surface. On the outside, it’s a story about creepy animatronics, but in reality, it’s a story of revenge. William Afton, the fictional creator of the animatronics featured in the games, has been murdering children and stuffing their bodies in the endoskeleton of the various animatronics located in his restaurants. You play the majority of the games as the nighttime security guard, instructed to keep an eye on the animatronics and not let them near you. Before long, the player begins to notice the uncanny feeling of having the animatronics walk around, almost as if they’re watching the player through the security cameras. As the night goes on, the animatronics are out to get the player directly, attacking at any given chance. I believe the movie will show more of the emotional side of the story instead of the adrenaline-filled, fast-paced gameplay. The animatronics are haunted by the spirits of children who are sad, confused, and angry. The movie seems to lean toward reminding the audience that the animatronics are alive and humans in different bodies.