After years in development purgatory with various directors and writers changing hands, Five Nights at Freddy's is finally out in theaters and available for streaming on Peacock.
Naturally, fans of the FNaF media franchise, who have been playing the survival horror game since 2014, flooded the streaming platform and theaters, breaking records and giving the film its impressive box office.
With such success, a sequel is a no-brainer, especially with the final scene clearly setting it up. But should the on-screen story really continue? We think not. And here's why.
Scores are poor
While the movie is filled with Easter Eggs for game fans and features beautifully crafted costumes and effects, it has received poor reviews from critics and casual viewers with a 30% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The main reason for the criticism is the plot of the movie.
The whole situation feels illogical and unsettling, with poor character development, questionable motives, and a predictable ending. This is definitely not the kind of basis on which to build a franchise.
Fans may not return
Many of the original game's fans have grown up, and the movie was a perfect way for them to take a trip down memory lane. While revisiting the haunted pizzeria was an exciting and nostalgic experience, many of those viewers will never watch the movie again and probably won't return for the sequel.
Success can't be replicated
Five Nights at Freddy's debuted on Halloween and had a lot of media buzz around it, which led many casual viewers to catch it in theaters and on streaming platforms. But the reviews show that those viewers were disappointed by the movie and have no intention of seeing the sequel, should it happen.
Story is complete
It is no easy task to expand a simple game concept into a full-fledged movie, let alone a franchise. The story of Josh Hutcherson's Mike Schmidt and his little sister has been wrapped up and doesn't really need revisiting. Moreover, the characters have discovered all the secrets of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and hopefully freed the ghosts trapped inside. So what would a sequel be about?
PG-13 doesn't work
The animatronic mascots look amazing, but there's a catch, they're not scary. For a horror, the whole movie is not terrifying enough. The reason for this is the PG-13 rating, which clearly doesn't work here.
When the characters are as whimsical and cartoonish as the animatronic bear and his friends, there needs to be gore and blood to strike terror into the audience. However, the franchise can't raise the rating, which means another non-frightening and kind of boring movie.