As your resident Five Nights at Freddy’s fangirl around these parts, I can only assume you’ve been waiting with baited breath for my take on the teaser we got last night. And, even if you haven’t, here it is anyway, because if there is one thing I will not take, it’s the hint to shut up about anything with Matthew Lillard in it.
Now, while I think there are a few legitimate criticisms to be levelled at the first FNAF movie, I generally think it’s a pretty good take on the game’s universe – Josh Hutcherson is a great lead, the animatronics (courtesy of Henson Studios) look spectacular, and director Emma Tammi (as ever, watch The Wind) is clearly dedicated to creating a loyal but not slavish version of the story. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the new teaser, and what this new movie promises – and what I think it needs to really take it into brilliance.
Firstly, it seems like this movie is taking the usual sequel route of going bigger – the glimpses we get of the animatronics here show them roaming beyond the restaurant of the first film, and in what appears to be a carnival-like setting. While I understand that some fans may not care for the change of backdrop, given how much the original three games stick to a single setting, it’s the right choice for a movie. A good sequel ups the stakes, expands the world, and, in short, throws a whole bunch more animatronics in the mix.
And speaking of, we get some glimpses of the franchise’s most iconic villains in this teaser, and they look just as brilliant as they did in the first movie – the focus on real effects is going to serve the FNAF movies well in the long run, I think, because they’ll always look better than overuse of CGI. The monster designs are some of my favourite aspects of the franchise, and they seem to be well-served here, especially Mangle, my personal beloved.
And speaking of the animatronics, let me be clear: I think this movie needs to go gorier and scarier with them. I get that the franchise is aimed at a slightly younger audience, and the first movie dodged anything too gruesome to play by those rules, but if we’re going bigger, better, and scarier, then the gore needs to reflect that. The contrast between the cheerful childishness of the animatronic’s original intention and as much splatter as you can fire out of a hosepipe is one that works so well, and I hope this sequel makes the most of it.
With that said – thoughts? Concerns? Opinions? What are you hoping to see from this sequel? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!
(header image via Gizomodo)
No But Listen 