Five Nights at Freddy’s Success Proves the Need for Practical Effects

Five Nights at Freddy's is a new horror movie from Blumhouse featuring the talents of Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard, bringing to life the scariest moments of the Five Nights at Freddy's video game series. However, the pièce de résistance comes not from the atmosphere or acting but from the animatronics. Significant puppetry was used in the creation of this film, granting it that extra layer of realistic terror. The reason behind these animatronics comes from the source material of the film, a nearly decade-long video game series. The game originated as a point-and-click first-person horror game, the objective of which is to survive five six-hour shifts as the night guard at a defunct pizzeria. The job seems easy enough, but the player soon realizes that they are not just watching the animatronics— the animatronics are watching the player. With the only defense being doors that are low on electricity and malfunctioning lights and cameras, the player must outlast the animatronics coming after them.