Roll up, one and all, for the grand opening of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza! If you’ve played the games, you’ll know there are more Five Nights at Freddy’s Easter Eggs than a supermarket in April. And with developer Scott Cawthon co-writing the movie’s screenplay and acting as a producer, you can be sure your basket will be overflowing on this particular egg hunt.
But if you don’t know where to start, have no fear. As someone who has frankly spent an unhealthy amount of time consuming everything Five Nights at Freddy’s, I’ve got your back. Not only that, but I’ve also dutifully noted down every fact, reference, and blink-and-you-miss-it moment you could hope to find in the horror movie. But bear in mind that there are spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the new movie yet, here’s our guide on how to watch Five Nights at Freddy’s first.
That 8-bit opening
Every FNAF player worth their salt loves the 8-bit animations the game uses to explain past events, so it’s hardly a surprise to see the movie use them as well. At the start of the movie, we’re treated to a pixelated portrait of William Afton doing what he does best: killing kids.
Bonnie in the Janitor’s room
In the Five Nights at Freddy’s games, Bonnie is the only animatronic who can appear in the janitor’s room. So, the evil animatronic looming behind Hank and tearing him to pieces in there is a nice nod to the games. Yay, accuracy!
Employees of the Month
Who are the Employees of the Month? Are they also stuffed inside animatronics? No, they’re super-rich YouTubers, so their pockets are just stuffed with money.
The Employee of the Month display in the pizzeria actually contains pictures of the YouTubers who helped make FNAF what it is. Those featured on the wall include 8-Bit Ryan, Baz, Razzbowski, FusionZGamer, and Dawko. Who knew so much bloodshed would also lead to so much wholesomeness?
Color codes
While the main attraction of the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is watching animatronics rip people in half, the director does make us do a little homework first. It’s like having to eat your vegetables before getting the ice cream, except the vegetables are costume colors, and the ice cream is dead people.
When we meet Steve Raglan (played by Five Nights at Freddy’s cast member Matthew Lillard) at the start, he’s wearing a purple tie. This is a nod to him actually being ‘the purple guy,’ AKA William Afton.
You might have also noticed that the Missing Children that appear in Mike’s dreams are all dressed like the animatronics they are. The child haunting Bonnie’s animatronic is wearing indigo and paper bunny ears, for instance, while the child haunting Foxy has a toy hook and wears orange.
Pizza party?
While Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza had been closed and abandoned for years by the time Mike Schmidt showed up, the set actually has a fully functioning kitchen. It’s probably not the safest place to whip up a pizza, though…
Vanessa
While Mike Schmidt is a character in the first Five Nights at Freddy’s game, Vanessa doesn’t appear until the latest game, Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach. Her character also seems to be inspired by Charlie, Afton’s adult daughter in the Five Nights at Freddy’s novels, who must reckon with her father’s crimes.
Or maybe Beck ended up faking her death at the end of You season 1 and is just trying to evade Joe Goldberg. If you think about it, the animatronics would be a picnic by comparison.
Balloon Boy
Several times, Mike ends up being jumpscared by a creepy-looking statue. This statue is actually Balloon Boy, which is one of the ‘toy animatronics’ and antagonists of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
Circus Baby
In the movie, the animatronics want to make Abby just like them. They try to make her into what looks like a young female clown. In the games, this animatronic is known as Circus Baby and ends up being possessed by the spirit of William Afton’s daughter, Elizabeth. There’s also the fact that ‘Abby’ is short for Elizabeth, and ‘Abby’ is an anagram for ‘Baby’. In other words, if there’s a second film, Abby better watch out.
“I always come back”
After accepting his fate of becoming springlocked, William Afton warns that “I always come back.” This is the character’s most famous line in the games, and one he first says in the sixth game: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Pizza Simulator. A real “Say the line, Bart” moment there.
The Living Tombstone
There’s no one more creative than the Five Nights At Freddy’s fandom. The games lit a spark in people they didn’t even know they have, leading to countless of inspired fanmade games, animations, novels, and even songs.
But the most popular song by far is the one by band ‘The Living Tombstone,’ which ended up becoming synonymous with the games and its inspired fandom. So, having ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 Song’ as the song for the movie’s end credits felt only fitting, as one final love letter to the fandom that got the franchise where it is today.
If you can’t get enough of FNAF, check out our Five Nights at Freddy’s review, 10 things you didn’t know about Five Nights at Freddy’s, and our feature on why Five Nights at Freddy’s having a PG-13 rating might be good for the movie.