The promise of nightmare inherent in animatronics is somewhat realised in 2024's Five Nights at Freddy's. Based on a popular horror game franchise inspired by those old creepy family restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese and ShowBiz Pizza, the movie somehow avoids ever being scary but it is kind of a fun adventure.
The main character, Mike (Josh Hutcherson), is a security guard at a long shuttered location for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. At one point he watches an old security training video which reminded me of the vintage ShowBiz Pizza training videos that made the rounds ten or so years ago. Comparing the animatronics and walkabouts seen in those videos to the slick, Jim Henson Creature Shop designed robots in the movie reveals how the film failed to capture the creepiness of reality. The animatronics need to be rickety, they need to have dead eyes. The ones in the movie are almost muppets; they're too effectively friendly, even with the exposed wiring and sharpened metal parts.
It is fun following Mike, his little sister (Piper Rubio), and a beautiful police officer named Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) as they try to unravel the mystery of the place. Some of it doesn't make much sense, as when Vanessa encourages the little girl to befriend the haunted animatronics only to tell Mike never to bring the girl near the things again. She also doesn't warn the little girl that a guitar belonging to one animatronic can electrocute her.
Still, it's a fun movie and has some of the adventurous appeal I assume is present in the video game.
Five Nights at Freddy's is available on Amazon Prime in Japan and on Peacock elsewhere.
X Sonnet #1912
A hooded figure carried plushies north.
Completed rows of fuzzy figures watch.
Among them lives a dream of marching forth.
But not a one can read his tiny watch.
As voices carried, actions built a tube.
Opinions route to sea and sink to sod.
The censors limit words to "Yo" and "boob"
Until the masses make a bugless mod.
Auspicious times were left beside the date.
No date occurs beneath the eyes of kids.
Adults do not arise from studied hate.
No purchase gained from endless, furtive bids.
Cognition dips beneath the waves of sloth.
A tide of blood betrays the ghosts were wroth.
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