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Design is Five Nights at Freddy’s secret weapon. This is true of the game franchise, but the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie relies on the set dressing above all else. The film has characters, jokes, and far too much backstory, but those elements fade to the back of your mind before the credits roll. Five Nights at Freddy’s is valuable as a showcase for animatronics and Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza before anything else.
Designers Are Five Nights at Freddy’s Unsung Heroes
When we discuss films, we tend to attribute all praise and criticism to a single name. This generally falls upon the most famous person on the cast or crew. The writer, director, celebrity producer, or star appears in every mention. Five Nights at Freddy’s doesn’t have that problem because its director is relatively unknown and only has a few established performers. We all know a hundred directors, and likely a few dozen writers, but we can’t name many special effects professionals. They’re the ones who make most of the movies we know. An Avengers movie lives or dies on its VFX work, as endless armchair critics regularly point out. Five Nights at Freddy’s relies more on its production designers, set decorators, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to elevate its horror experience.
Marc Fisichella was the production designer on the set of Five Nights at Freddy’s. Fisichella has filled the same role on many products across genres. He worked with Blumhouse before in its 2019 films, Ma and Fantasy Island. As the production designer, Fisichella sets the design style for the film. He’s partially responsible for the live-action recreation of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. He wasn’t alone. Previous collaborator Claire Sanchez stepped in to provide set decoration, a critical job in this film. The art department features 20 dedicated professionals. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop deserves high praise for its practical animatronic effects considering bringing Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and the restaurant to life was the most critical aspect of the film to nail, and these artists succeeded.
Five Nights at Freddy’s and the “Point” of Video Game Movies
I despise the way we discuss video game adaptations. Many cultural commentators still treat games as an inherently lesser art form. The live-action adaptation of a moving story like The Last of Us is met with shocked gasps. Shot-for-shot remakes are celebrated. It’s as if every interactive narrative as a medium must be rescued to be taken seriously. Most games are better in their original form. As much as we pretend a live-action adaptation lends prestige, it’s a downgrade in most cases. The “video game movie” curse has been nonsense since the early 90s, but removing one of the central features of a work will hurt its appeal. Though I’ll vociferously defend the value of games in their original medium, I must also admit the desire to see some digital creations realized with Hollywood money. It’s like meeting Megatron at Universal Studios.
Five Nights at Freddy’s retells the story of the first game. More importantly, it faithfully captures Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and its animatronics. The joy of the film is seeing Freddy and his pals realized through dudes in suits or modern robotics. An animated series couldn’t achieve that. You can watch a making-of video and see the tactile representations of your favorite jump scare lumbering through your favorite pizza place. This is a simple pleasure. It’s not about expanding the lore or experiencing a new perspective. Instead, live-action video game adaptations give you the fun of feeling like Freddy Fazbear’s is a tangible place. Set aside your desire for characters, narrative, or good writing – Five Nights at Freddy’s is perfect for fans who want to believe Freddy is out there somewhere.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is enjoyable exclusively thanks to the work of designers, artists, and prop professionals who rarely receive their due praise. Instead of relying on the typical tenants of storytelling, Five Nights at Freddy’s justifies the ticket price through superior design. The animatronics look great, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza is flawless, and the visuals are generally excellent. Like the game, the lore is a secondary concern compared to the joy of witnessing these terrifying restaurant robots.
