For mild adrenaline junkies, horror movies are given source of sweaty palms and racing hearts, but what about video games? Five Nights at Freddy’s is simple yet terrifying video game, available for PC download as well as in the App Store. There are currently two versions available, the original and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2–each as startling as the other.
The eerie plot of the game is such: you are a security guard working the night shift in a Chuck E Cheese’s-esque restaurant and arcade. The premise is simple enough — except the animatronic animals within the restaurant are on a “free roam” setting during the nights and have murderous tendencies. These habits don’t arise simply because they need hobbies at night; rather, there is a deeper plot line to the chilling game.
The story goes that years ago there was a group of five missing children–suspected to be murdered–at Freddy’s restaurant along with a strange odor coming from the animatronic machines. In present day, a former Freddy’s employee has been arrested on the basis of crimes that will not be disclosed. The mystery and disturbing nature of the game’s complicated plot is what makes it a perfect fit for the next hit horror movie.
The player has to survive the night shift from 12am – 6am before moving on to the next night. Although the game appears easy enough at first (the player has to watch te animatronic animals through security cameras and make sure that they do not enter the main office), the game quickly gets more challenging. With only a certain amount of energy available, the player has to carefully conserve his or her energy by not turning on lights, keeping the doors open, and only looking at the camera when needed. Players have to pick up on habits of the animals (for example, the fox animatronic stays behind a curtain and if the curtain is open, that means he i on his way towards the office) and use auditory cues in order to maximize the amount of energy the have available. Every night, the animals get faster, smarter, and more bloodthirsty.
Elements of suspense as the player anticipates the arrival of the animatronics is what cultivates the game’s addictively frightening style. On top of this, constant jump scares leave the player startled and their heart racing. Surely the movie adaptation will incorporate the same qualities which give Five Nights at Freddy’s its reputation amongst gamers.
Recently bought by Warner Brothers, the film adaptation has a long way to go. Yet to be assigned a writer or director, the possibilities are endless. If the film follows in the suspenseful footsteps of its video game inspiration, it is sure to be terrifying hit; however, as always with horror films, it has the possibility to be a cheesy (no pun intended) failure. For now, I’m continuing to stay away from Chuck E. Cheese.
