Going into Five Nights At Freddy’s, I knew little about its history. Based on a video game, I knew this was a horror film based around large animatronic creatures, so immediately it brought images of Nicolas Cage’s Willy’s Wonderland, which came out a few years ago, where the Cage had to spend a night with killer robotic animals. What I got was something very different: a horror film with minimal scares and more a tale of a troubled security guard trying to find the truth about the disappearance of his young brother. If this was based on a video game, it must be very uninspired.

Mike is having a tough time. He looks after his sister, Abby, who has learning difficulties. He is in a dispute with his aunt about who should be looking after the girl, and he finds it hard to hold down a job. He also suffers from nightmares about the day his young brother was taken. He improves his situation by working as a security guard at an abandoned pizza restaurant. Little does he know that the place could hold the key to his nightmares and that the furry animatronic characters have a life of their own.

Produced by the horror studio Blumhouse and directed by Emma Tammi, this has the potential for a new franchise. Dolls, toys and cute creatures as forms to create terror have always been popular in cinema history, so they would be a sure thing. Except here, the focus is not on monstrous metal characters but on a security guard living a life of hell through his own demons and issues, making the apparent horror traits almost second fiddle in the drama.

It starts off promising with a scene in which a former security guard at the pizza place is chased by robotics. It ends with a leave-it-to-the-imagination death scene, something scarce in a society where every gory detail is usually on show. Then, the focus shifts to Mike, a man who, as a child, was left with the responsibility of looking after his younger brother, who is snatched under his nose by a mysterious stranger and led to the break-up of a stable family. Mike dreams the events of that day repeatedly in the hope of finding something he can see as a clue to who took him. Perfectly fine as a film on its own merit, a troubled man seeking redemption and, maybe, revenge. Instead, we are shifted back to Freddy’s, where he works nights, and suddenly, the nightmares are becoming more extreme.

When we finally get to see the creatures, the horror is lacking. No genuine scares jumps, or even a single violent death, all played off-screen or in shadows. I’m fine with that as I don’t see every inch of blood and guts, but this does it in a way you feel has been produced, not by a studio that has made horror their bread and butter over the years, but by Disney! The classification of PG-13 in the States should have been a clue (although, for some unknown reason, this has been given a 15 over here). This is the tamest horror in years, and it doesn’t work because it has its focus in the wrong place. It also feels slightly unsettling that this deals with the kidnapping of children, and when the twist occurs, you do think it’s a little on the twisted side.

I’m not saying it’s a poorly made film because it looks slick, and money has been spent on the animatronics (produced by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop). The problem is these are two stories that just don’t gel. It takes forever to really get going, and when it does, you sadly don’t care. Having said previously, horrors work when you care about those involved. This does have a sympathetic lead, but he never rises above self-pity. Even his sister seems to be just a ploy to try and win favour, but you do find yourself asking when the boy is kidnapped, and the family fall apart, when did they give birth to this child?

The performances are okay but never outstanding. Josh Hutcherson is fine as Mike, as he tries to get himself out of his hellish lifestyle, but it’s never more than just a standard unimpressive performance. It was great seeing the name of Mary Stuart Masterson on the opening credits. A minor star of late 80s and 90s cinema (Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny and Joon) who seemed to disappear is back but sadly playing the Aunt as if she is the Wicked Queen in Snow White. Even Matthew Liddard, from Scooby-Doo and Scream, has little to do in dual roles.

Five Nights at Freddy’s could have been a terrifying rollercoaster ride with some possible laughs. Instead, we get a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be and ends up depressing and dull. It doesn’t give the video game a good light either, and those who are fans will probably still be fans. Those who don’t know about the game will probably stay away.

2 out of 5

Director: Emma Tammi

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard, Kat Connor Sterling, David Lind, Michael P. Sullivan

Written by: Seth Cuddeback, Emma Tammi, (also screen-story and based on the video game series “Five Nights at Freddy’s”) Scott Cawthon, (screen-story) Chris Lee Hill and Tyler MacIntire

Running Time: 109 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 25th October 2023