The Direct is here to break down some of the biggest spoilers coming out of Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's film.
The FNAF movie has been highly anticipated by many. Fans have been waiting years to see the terrifying animatronics from this hit FNAF video game franchise come to life.
Sadly, it seems that, for many, the movie's big arrival might not be worth the fuss. Early reactions from critics don't paint a positive picture, with one outlet calling it "tortuously drawn out" and another admitting that it was "about as scary as Barney the purple dinosaur."
Despite the lukewarm reception, at the very least, it seems to do a good job of staying faithful to the original games and pulling from their lore.
Five Nights at Freddy's Movie Spoilers Explained
1.) What Happened to Mike’s Brother?
Throughout the movie, Josh Hutcherson’s character, Mike, is constantly navigating a dream world where he is convinced he can find out what happened to his brother, Garret. When he was young, Garret was kidnapped by someone, but they were never found—and it tore his family apart.
Even now, the traumatic incident drives Mike, who is roughly stumbling through life.
Well, it turns out that the man who kidnapped Garret is the same person responsible for killing all the children whose souls possess the animatronics at Freddy’s.
But, if William Afton did kidnap his brother, could his soul be revealed as trapped in another animatronic somewhere? Perhaps even at the Sister Location?
2.) What Is Vanessa’s Secret?
When Vanessa barges into Mike’s life at his new security job, alarm bells almost certainly started going off in the audience’s heads. Just who is this oddly helpful, supposedly friendly face?
Well, it turns out she is hiding a big secret: William Afton, the man behind all the dead kids, is her father. It seems that Vanessa has been a reluctant part of his past—though, thankfully, it seems she’s able to finally push back against his evil by shooting him in the film’s final act.
By the time the movie ends, she’s left in a coma thanks to her father’s departing gift, in the form of a knife through her gut.
3.) Springtrap and the Man Behind It All
Another big animatronic makes its appearance in the movie outside of the key gang: Springtrap.
The suit is piloted by none other than a very alive William Afton, the serial killer who killed the missing kids and whose daughter is Vanessa. To make the surprise even bigger, it turns out that Matthew Lillard’s Steve Raglan, the person who first hired Mike, is Afton.
During the movie’s final act, William stabs his daughter, and he is eventually killed by the very kids whom he hurt decades ago.
Though, while he seems dead (and he might not be), it’s unlikely that it’s the last fans have seen of Lillard if the series gets another installment.
4.) What’s the Deal With These Animatronics?
So, why do the Animatronics at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria move on their own? Well, that’s easy—the bodies of five dead children are trapped in their exoskeletons, leaving their souls to pilot the machines.
Sadly, it turns out that the serial killer who offed them, William Afton, has a strong influence over them. It is so strong that they’ve forgotten who killed them in the first place.
When Abby is introduced to them, they immediately take kindly to her. While their desire to play with Abby might have come from innocence, it morphs into something far more terrifying: they want to trap her in her own animatronic body (which may have been the movie’s attempt at creating Circus Baby).
By the end of the movie, Freddy and his gang turn against Afton, seemingly killing him. However, it’s unclear what headspace they might be in now that his hold over them has broken.
5.) Unexpected Faces From the Games
While fans might have called Springtrap’s involvement in the plot, there are two other important pieces from the games that show up during the movie’s runtime.
The first of them is Balloon Boy, a toy-sized creepy collectible that is used as a fun jump scare a handful of times in the movie. Sadly, it doesn’t ever show any signs of being alive like the rest of the animatronics
While Circus Baby doesn’t properly show up, her frame seems to first appear in a storage closet that Vanessa and Mike briefly visit. That same exosuit is what Chica tries to stuff Abby into later in the film.
6.) The Harsh Ending of Mike’s Associates
Mike’s story introduces some new faces to audiences. Most importantly, there’s his Aunt, who so desperately wants custody of Abby, and Max, the babysitter for when he needs to work.
Sadly for both of them, they all meet a grisly end at the hands of Freddy and his crew. Several associates of Abby, including her brother, are also brutally murdered while trying to screw over Mike.
Five Nights at Freddy's is now streaming on Peacock and playing in theaters worldwide.
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