Horror movie maestro Jason Blum has caused a stir by posting a photo on social media that teases a collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The photo depicts a man working on an animatronic and it’s immediately been identified by fans as one Freddy Fazbear – the star of popular horror videogame Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The first in the series of videogames launched in 2014 and the storyline centres around trying to survive after dark in the Freddy Fazbear’s pizza chain restaurant. Based on Chuck E. Cheese, the animatronic characters (including Freddy) come to life at night and are hostile.
The 2021 Nicolas Cage movie Willy’s Wonderland had a similar plotline, but it looks as though this will be the first official FNAF film. Horror games such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and Poppy Playtime have become popular largely due to YouTubers with huge followings playing them and creating content around them. Young people who are into Creepypastas such as Slender Man, Jeff the Killer, and Siren Head have also tended to graduate to FNAF fandom.
Jason Blum’s tweet says; “It’s great to be working with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Their experience and expertise with animatronics is absolutely killer!” Blumhouse Productions is behind many successful horror movies such as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, The Purge, Get Out, Glass, The Invisible Man, The Black Phone, and the last two Halloween movies.
Fans of the game series will be curious to see if Five Nights at Freddy’s is all stop-motion, or if it will have live actors mixed in with animatronics. They’ll also want to know how scary it is and what rating it is given, as it seems to have a fairly young fanbase.
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop was known primarily for Sesame Street and The Muppets, but also scary movies for kids in the 1980s including The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and The Witches. In more recent years, it has worked on The Muppet Movie (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014).
While we wait for more news on Five Nights at Freddy’s, check out our guide to the best Amazon Prime horror movies.