Five Nights at Freddy's: Movie and Game Story Comparison

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. Proceed at your own risk.

Summary

TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm was finally released this past week, following its announcement way back in 2015. Whereas general audiences and casual fans expected the film to adopt the simple and scare-heavy nature of the originalFive Nights at Freddy’sgame, theFNAFmovie instead leaned heavily on expanded lore that spans both the games and books. With so many points of reference, and the film’s major plot lines inferred rather than explained, the narratives of the original game and its film adaptation are dramatically different. However, by comparing the origins of the film’s main characters and setting to the games, and how they connect in its new chronology, fans can better understand the events of the film, and where the next entry is likely headed.

TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm has been the subject of polarizing reviews, as its narrative, references, and method of storytelling cater heavily to fans already invested in its unique and complicated lore. While fans praise it as a near-perfect adaptation, critics and general audiences have struggled to connect. This is due to creator Scott Cawthon’s reliance on inferential storytelling, in which references and background details are meant to form the backbone of the film’s narrative, much like the games. To do so, the film was required to pull from a variety of sources, as the original game title’s tone and major elements, taken at face value, are largely irrelevant to its position in the lore at present.

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The Five Nights at Freddy’s Series Has Shifted Since 2015

WhentheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm was announced in 2015, the franchise and its story were much simpler. The original game had no true narrative of its own. Instead, the title hinted at a mysterious series of murders through Easter eggs and in-game references. Its sequel,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2is where the true lore began, as it introduced the Puppet, accompanied by lore-building mini-games. However, by the end of 2015,FNAF’s lore had transformed into a detailed story, with its main antagonist, William Afton, thrust into the spotlight.

2015 saw the release ofFive Nights at Freddy’s 3,Five Nights at Freddy’s 4,and the firstFNAFnovel,The Silver Eyes. Up to this point in time, the series' main antagonist Purple Guy had been a nameless NPC. While the games themselves had continued tasking players with surviving the night, hidden minigames provided confirmation of the character’s crimes, his death at the hands of the children’s spirits, and his resurrection as Springtrap. Soon after,The Silver Eyes, a novel released in December 2015, revealed a veiled portrayal of the character’s history, providing fans with the name William Afton and his origins.

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In the time since this transition toward an overarching narrative, theFive Nights at Freddy’shas shifted away from its larger horror elements, and toward deep and complicated inferential storytelling. As more and more entries were released, this overarching narrative and the theories that surrounded it continued to grow. In 2023, the originalFive Nights at Freddy’sstands as one of the most lore-heavy entries in the franchise, as later releases fleshed out its major elements while providing a background that bolstered its true purpose. In adapting the original game to film, Blumhouse and creator Scott Cawthon took these external elements, including characters, settings, and background references, and re-purposed them to form another inferential narrative.

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Five Nights at Freddy’s Characters Provide Its Clearest Method of Comparison

TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm explores the backstory of Mike Schmidt, a struggling security guard who is desperately attempting to retain custody of his younger sister, Abby. To do so, he accepts a job offer from Steve Raglan, which sees him become the night guard atFreddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place.

While the setting itself is one of the most significant locations in all ofFNAFlore, replacing the game’s Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, it’s the film’s characters that form its inferential narrative. The film relays this story while using the lore ofFive Nights at Freddy’s 3as its backbone. A comparison between how these characters' stories differ between the film and its relevant source material provides the clearest method of comparison betweentheFive Nights at Freddy’sfranchiseand its on-screen adaptation:

Film

Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt, whose true identity is believed to be that of William Afton’s eldest son, Michael, is the lead protagonist of the classicFNAFseries. Michael’s major background info is provided through silent minigames, theSurvival Logbook,andFive Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, where he is sent to find his younger sister, Elizabeth, leading to his death and reanimation. Michael’s younger brother’s death as a child informs his primary motives. In the games, Michael’s main goal is to find his father, William, though his intentions after doing so are still unknown.

Mike is a struggling security guard who takes a job at Freddy’s to retain custody of his younger sister, Abby. Mike’s backstory is played out in a series of dream sequences, which see his younger brother Garrett kidnapped by William Afton. AdoptingFNAF 4’s Dream Theory, Mike relives the traumatic moment every night, attempting to distinguish important details. With the help of Vanessa, Abby, and the Animatronics, Mike brings an end to William’s cyclical murder of children and security guards.

Abby Schmidt

N/A

Abby is an original character to theFive Nights at Freddy’sMovie, replacing Elizabeth as Michael’s younger sister. Abby plays a major role in the film’s plot, as she befriends the spirits trapped within the animatronics. In the film’s climax, she is brought to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place by Golden Freddy, in an effort byWilliam Aftonand the Animatronics to trap her in a springlock suit. She reveals Afton’s crimes to the children, leading to his death in the Spring Bonnie suit.

Vanessa

Vanessa made her first physical debut inFive Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach,though she is believed to have debuted asTape Girl inFNAF: Help Wanted. She is the night security guard at the Mega-Pizzaplex, which sees her attempt to catchSecurity Breach’s protagonist, Gregory, throughout the night. The title’s DLC,RUIN, confirmed Vanessa to be the identity of Vanny, a murderous disciple of Afton’s, corrupted by the Glitchtrap virus over 30 years after William’s true death.

Vanessa is a police officer, who assists Mike in caring for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. It is later revealed that Vanessa is involved in William Afton’s cycle of murder as a failsafe. She is tasked with eliminating Mike if he figures out too much. She later reveals herself to beAfton’s daughter, before joining Mike in ending her Father’s reign of terror and saving Abby. Vanessa is left on life support at the end of the film, having been mortally wounded by her Father.

Animatronics/Spirits

EachFive Nights at Freddy’stitle features animatronics housing the bodies and spirits of child victims. While these children’s identities are rarely known,Five Nights at Freddy’s 3depicts theFNAF 1animatronics in various lore minigames. As it pertains to the film, these minigames reveal the spirits' major role in the death of William Afton.

Five Nights at Freddy’sanimatronicshouse the spirits and bodies of William’s child victims, whom he manipulates through some unknown force. The spirits themselves appear in Mike’s dreams and entice him to trade Abby for life with his younger brother. In the film’s climax, the spirits/animatronics remember Afton’s role in their deaths, leading to the villains being “springlocked” in the Spring Bonnie Suit.

William Afton

William Afton is the main antagonist of the classicFive Nights at Freddy’sseries and is responsible for an untold number of child murders. He is the co-creator of the Freddy’s franchise with Henry Emily, a robotics genius. After the death of his daughter Elizabeth, Afton sets theFNAFfranchise in motion, killing the child of his business partner before moving on to more victims. InFNAF 1, he makes his debut as Phone Guy, the individual responsible for informing Mike of the day shift’s events. His being attacked by the animatronics is later overheard by Mike, linking the game’s events to those oftheFNAF 3minigames. Following his death in the Spring Bonnie Suit, Afton returns as Springtrap, after the hidden room in which he was sealed is opened.

William Afton is introduced asSteve Raglan, a social services worker who offers Mike the job at long-closed Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. As in the source material, Raglan leaves Mike a detailed phone message about the location and shift expectations. In the film’s climax, Raglan is revealed to be Afton, before appearing in the Spring Bonnie suit to kill Mike and his sister, Abby. However, he is thwarted by Mike, Vanessa, and the animatronics, leading to his being mortally wounded by springlocks. The film’s final shot is up to interpretation as his twitching can be taken as a sign of his being cusp of death, or as an indication of his having already begun to reanimate.

Golden Freddy

Golden Freddy isa hidden fifth animatronic in the originalFive Nights at Freddy’s. Existing beyond a physical animatronic, the spirit housed within named Cassidy is a powerful force in the game and book series. Cassidy is one of William’s oldest and most vengeful victims, who violently attacks night guards and seemingly kills Afton/Phone Guy with the Spring Bonnie suit. The books imply that, following his resurrection and eventual second defeat, Cassidy attaches herself to Afton’s soul to ensure he never dies. Instead, she thrusts his mind into an eternal hellscape in which he is repeatedly killed by his victims.

Golden Freddy and his unnamed spirit are the secondary antagonists of theFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm. The spirit appears throughout Mike’s dream sequences, eventually tricking Mike into trading Abby for his brother Garrett. The ghostly animatronic physically appears in Abby’s home and journeys with her to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place, before disappearing. In the film’s final scene, the spirit watches as Afton’s springlocked body violently twitches, before locking him in a backroom.

TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm infuses the core elements of the original title with the complex and non-linear narrative of the series' early titles. Bringing together characters and locations fromFNAF,FNAF 3, andFive Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach,the film uses their respective backstories to form a conjoined narrative, paving the way to a new and exciting chronology. While the film’s story is incomparable to the bare-bones story depicted in the originalFive Nights at Freddytitle, Scott Cawthon and Blumhouse’s characters bridge the gap, creating the foundation on which a film universe can be built. With the remarkable success of the firstFive Nights at Freddy’smovie, despite poor critical reception, fans are sure to see more ofFive Nights at Freddy’slore adapted for the big screen soon.