The new “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie came out on Oct. 27. Directed by Emma Tammi, children and adults alike were thrilled to see this movie since it’s based on a beloved series of indie horror games created by the esteemed Scott Cawthon.

Released in Aug. 2014, the computer game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” took the internet by storm when it gained popularity in 2015 amongst popular YouTube channels like Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and PewDiePie. With these “let’s play” videos, the FNaF fandom grew unlike any other and became one of the most successful indie horror games on the market, earning its very own movie adaptation.

In the film, familiar faces like Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt and Matthew Lillard as William Afton make an appearance, as well as cameos involving Matthew Patrick (MatPat) as the waiter in Sparky’s Diner and Cory Williams (CoryXKenshin) as a cabbie.

With such a cast, it’s only fitting that the movie has grossed $217 million worldwide as of Nov. 5, making it the second-highest opening video game-based film behind “The Super Mario Bros Movie”.

The movie follows Mike Schmidt as he takes a mysterious security job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, an abandoned pizzeria and arcade shut down in the ’80s for the disappearances of five children at the establishment. While Mike is there, he, his little sister Abby, and a friendly cop, Vanessa, fight and eventually befriend the animatronics in a suspenseful and enticing battle.

From here, the plot only thickens. It’s difficult to summarize without spoiling the ending, but the movie begins to move closer to the plot of the familiar franchise we all know and love. 

The movie has given the audience what they want in the form of exceptional fan service and easter eggs related to the games, giving supporters the satisfaction of having something only devoted fans would recognize. Tammi does an incredible job designing an easier way to understand the plot without knowing the complete background, which is helpful for newer fans.

Blumhouse had excellent advertising for the movie by posting things on social media, making merchandise deals with other companies, and even creating a phone number where fans could text and be “interviewed” to become a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

Although the movie was basic enough for new viewers to understand the concept, it felt blocky to me. One moment it’s in family-friendly court, and the next it’s witnessing children get murdered. It felt weak in comparison to the actual lore presented to us in the games. While the producers made it all work out in the end, it felt as though they wrote the script and realized halfway that they needed to make the movie about “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and not just “Five Nights in the Family Courtroom”. 

It felt less scary as a horror film, but more suspenseful and mysterious. Viewers have stated that they wish there was more gore or jumpscares present during the film since that’s what makes the franchise so eerie and unique, though I recognize that the film is PG-13 and needs to be more suitable for all types of audiences.

This movie is exceptional for all fans of the franchise and is a great watch for all ages. It leaves you excited for another film from Blumhouse Productions, as they’ve teased plans for an upcoming sequel. I’m excited to see more of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and I can’t wait to see where they take us next in this series.

I would give this movie a confident 7/10.