Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s had an incredible opening weekend with $80 million, the third biggest debut in the history of horror (just under the It duology).
While the film was panned by critics (28% on Rotten Tomatoes), the Freddy’s fandom wasn’t deterred in the slightest, which comes as no surprise considering the franchise’s meteoric rise in popularity in the last decade.
Five Nights at Freddy’s, often referred to as to FNaF, pronounced “fin-aff,” is still a cornerstone of internet culture (if YouTube has taught us anything, it’s that children have surprisingly dark tastes in media).
For Gen Z kids who grew up watching YouTubers react to these games, this is their nostalgia-bait; the old horror icons like Freddy Krueger have been left in the dust.
But how did the Five Nights At Freddy’s phenomenon begin, and why are the games still so popular?
Failure leads to Freddy
Creator of FNaF, game developer Scott Cawthon, has a great “origin story” for his series. Cawthorn, a devout Christian, spent the early years of his career creating games that earnestly reflected his religious beliefs.
After releasing a family-friendly title starring a cartoon beaver named “Chipper,” Cawthorn was devastated to see that critics and commentators were mocking his character designs as “unintentionally terrifying,” with some comparing Chipper to a “scary animatronic.”
After experiencing a (literal) crisis of faith, Cawthorn made the fateful decision to double down on the creepiness of his character design. Thus, Freddy Fazbear was born (notably, Freddy bears a striking similarity to Chipper the beaver).
Creepy photos of decayed Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics had long haunted the internet, and Cawthorn parodied the restaurant, setting his new game in a dilapidated pizzeria.
In August 2014, Cawthorn released his first horror game, Five Nights At Freddy’s, placing the player in the shoes of a security guard tasked with defending themselves from the murderous animatronics that wander the corridors at night.
The first installment was a simple task-management game defined by limitations; players could flick between security cameras, armed with only lights, electric doors and a stingy amount of power to keep them running.
Those limitations proved tremendously effective at building tension, with failure accompanied by a good jump scare. On YouTube, gamers were looking for a horror game to react to.
YouTube turns Freddy into a phenomenon
The release of the first game coincided with the rise of streaming culture on YouTube, and creators like PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye and Markiplier earned millions of views by reacting to Five Nights at Freddy’s, screaming into the camera and hyping up the experience.
Markiplier’s video, titled “WARNING: SCARIEST GAME IN YEARS” has since racked up more than 114 million views; in hindsight, the game’s lack of gore and creepy atmosphere was perfectly attuned to attract younger viewers.
Even if fans weren’t playing the game themselves, they were sharing the experience with their favorite creators; the wave of YouTube “Let’s Play” videos proved more effective than any marketing campaign.
Following the game’s positive reception, Cawthorn seized the moment, churning out sequels that tweaked the gameplay and setting, introducing new characters and crafting an increasingly complex narrative.
By March 2015, Cawthorn had already released Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, having released three games in seven months.
Five Night’s at Freddy’s Lore
The first game framed the animatronics as flawed technology with murderous tendencies, but the sequels began to paint a far more disturbing picture, hinting at a larger story involving missing children, all connected to the cursed pizzeria chain.
Much of the story of FNaF was not told directly to the players, but hinted at through clues and easter eggs, allowing fan theories to thrive; think of the frenzied speculation that TV shows like Lost and Westworld cultivated in viewers and you’ve got the idea.
As sequels continued to be released, fueling fan theories, art and fiction, FNAF built a surprisingly dense narrative and convoluted timeline, giving the fandom more than enough material to chew on.
What began as a simple horror game eventually grew into a sprawling brand, as each installment rewarded the players with hidden breadcrumbs of lore, which kept the fandom engaged and obsessed with uncovering the game’s secrets.
FNaf has since expanded into an epic, starring serial killers, vengeful spirits and spring-loaded mascot costumes with exceedingly poor design choices, capable of slicing people into mincemeat. The original cast of animatronics (Bonnie the rabbit, Chica the chicken, Foxy the pirate fox and the titular Freddy) now boast fleshed-out personalities and backstories.
The narrative arc of FNaF’s animatronics, from murderous machines to tragic characters, still influences the kids horror genre today; tales of human-turned-monster have become exceedingly common in the YouTube lore community, giving tragic origin stories to the monstrous antagonists of Rainbow Friends, Poppy Playtime and the Garten of BanBan.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a powerful brand
In late 2015, Cawthorn signed a series of licensing deals, leading to the animatronic invasion of Walmart, Target and Amazon; the likeness of Freddy Fazbear and friends was imprinted onto Funko pops, Halloween costumes, stuffed toys and a wide range of merchandise.
The series has since sold over 33.5 million units and boasts nine official installments, multiple spinoffs, as well as novels and comics; rather like Sonic the Hedgehog, the franchise has grown far beyond the simplicity of its first installment, sprouting into a complex world of its own.
Now, Five Nights at Freddy’s is officially a horror movie, and the film’s strong performance will surely trigger a barrage of sequels.
For fans, that means more lore to unpack, more accompanying YouTube content; we certainly haven’t seen the last of Freddy Fazbear.
