The Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) films were major cultural phenomena, with both productions attracting large audiences to witness the popular horror video games come to life. Being a major fan of FNAF and having grown up with the series myself since the first game’s release, there was no chance that I wouldn’t be seeing the films. That was just the start of the problem.

Both films received negative reviews, garnering scores of 33% and 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. Granted, credit was given where it was due, with praise for the animatronic effects and faithfulness to the games, but the films were overall deemed unfrightening, in addition to having poor acting and writing, and having to rely on fanservice to succeed. 

Personally, I wasn’t as negative as many viewers seemed to be, and I don’t mean to attack anyone who enjoyed the films by writing this article. That being said, the way the creative team responded to such mass criticism has been a thorn in my side: many of the major crew members have claimed the film is meant to be solely “for the fans.”

Blumhouse Productions, the studio behind the films, made an Instagram post captioning the film’s poor rating on Rotten Tomatoes by saying, “It’s not for you.” In an interview with Checkpoint Gaming, director Emma Tammi openly stated, “Critics are not who we’re listening to for this franchise. I think it’s dangerous to listen to critics in general, even if they’re saying stuff that you don’t disagree with.”

I say that all of this is ridiculous. 

“For the fans” is not a justification. It’s a weak deflection, and ironically, a major disrespect to the fanbase, too. Let me be clear about why.

To start, there is no reason that a movie made “for the fans” can’t be enjoyed by other audiences. Let’s take a look at another video game series adapted into film: Sonic the Hedgehog.

The first two films in the series received a 64% and 69% in terms of their score on Rotten Tomatoes. While that’s not bad, let alone as poor as FNAF’s reception, it’s clear there was significant room for improvement. The films were generally seen as entertaining and loyal to the games, however many loathed their immature nature and formulaic storytelling, and it is clear from the reception of the third film that the filmmakers took this into account. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 received significantly more positive reviews (85% on Rotten Tomatoes), with praise going toward its more mature and emotionally complex narrative, whilst still maintaining its more humorous aspects and, of course, being loyal to the fans. The success didn’t come from rejecting criticism, but rather from engaging with it.

So it’s clear that an adaptation can still be “for the fans” and a generally well-received project… but the issue isn’t just what they can be doing. The FNAF films should focus on crafting terrifying scenes and telling engaging stories, because that’s what made the games so famous in the first place. 

FNAF was built on a unique sense of horror. Rather than the more violent and gory approaches taken by many horror games before it, FNAF was able to turn the sanitized uncanniness of mascot animatronics and combine it with stationary gameplay, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere with no way to hide from incoming danger. 

Furthermore, its creative storytelling only furthered the intrigue. The nigh-unsolvable mystery, left fragmented in cryptic audio and minigames, just kept fans hungering for answers. Anyone who searches “FNAF” on YouTube will find rivers of deep dives and theories spanning all the way back to the first game’s release in 2014, which truly shows just how long the franchise’s story has sustained it. This is practically what built the FNAF fanbase in the first place. The story united millions across the globe to solve its dark mysteries.

Yet look at the criticisms of the films. They are commonly said to lack any element of horror, let alone a creative one, and the story is underdeveloped and unengaging, losing all the fascinating lore of the source material. While it is true the films still contain numerous references and allusions to the game (the heavy fanservice, as I mentioned earlier), I’d argue that adaptations are supposed to be faithful not just in plot, but in spirit, and these films lack the spirit of their source material. And that’s not to mention that the fanservice can feel hollow without the lore it is based on. If the filmmakers claim this movie was truly “for the fans”, but they ignore what the fanbase loves, then who is the movie really made for?

That’s why criticism is so important. It’s not meant for hurting, but for growth. Adaptations are meant to bring new and old audiences together, and by listening to criticism, the FNAF movies can honour the longtime fanbase as well as maximize their potential as strong horror films and reach larger audiences. But with the approach taken by the film’s creatives, to overstuff the films with soulless fanservice, say it’s “for the fans”, and call it a day? They’re not just ignoring fans and audiences—they’re underestimating them.

We won’t accept it. We don’t want cheap fanservice. We want films with tension, horror, mystery, and stories packed with fascinating lore. Above all else, we want to live through what made us fall in love with the games to begin with, and we want all audiences to join us for a bite.

So, no. The Five Nights at Freddy’s films are not and should not be “for the fans”. 
Sincerely, a fan.

Contributed by Emon Hossain

Works Cited

Blumhouse. “This Film Is for the Fans Who Clocked in and Never Left.” Instagram, Meta 

Platforms, Inc., 8 Dec. 2026, www.instagram.com/p/DSB4Sh6kUqU/?img_index=6. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Directed by Emma Tammi, Universal Pictures, 2025.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Directed by Scott Cawthon, ScottGames, 2014. Windows PC game. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc., 19 Dec. 2023, 

www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” Metacritic, Fandom, Inc., 10 Nov. 2014, 

www.metacritic.com/game/five-nights-at-freddys-2/. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango Media, LLC, 8 Apr. 2025, 

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_nights_at_freddys_2. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s. Directed by Emma Tammi, Universal Pictures, 2023.

Five Nights at Freddy’s. Directed by Scott Cawthon, ScottGames, 2014. Windows PC game. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc., 4 Aug. 2015, www.imdb.com/title/tt4589218/. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Metacritic, Fandom, Inc., 8 Aug. 2014, 

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“Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango Media, LLC, 7 Apr. 2023, 

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Louise, Hayley. “We Chat with Director Emma Tammi about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” 

Checkpoint Gaming, JOY Media, 24 Nov. 2025, checkpointgaming.net/features/2025/11/

we-chat-with-director-emma-tammi-about-five-nights-at-freddys-2/. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Directed by Jeff Fowler, Paramount Pictures, 2022.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc., 26 July 2020, www.imdb.com/title/tt12412888/. 

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango Media, LLC, 24 Apr. 2021, 

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_2. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Directed by Jeff Fowler, Paramount Pictures, 2024.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc., 12 Apr. 2022, www.imdb.com/title/tt18259086/. 

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango Media, LLC, 12 June 2023, 

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_3. 

Sonic the Hedgehog. Directed by Jeff Fowler, Paramount Pictures, 2020.

“Sonic the Hedgehog.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc., 17 May 2016, www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/. 

“Sonic the Hedgehog.” Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango Media, LLC, 15 Sept. 2019, 

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_2020.