Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The Big Picture
The
Five Nights at Freddy’s
movie is filled with Easter eggs, including cameos from popular YouTubers and references to fan theories and legends.
The film features various game references, such as familiar characters, recreations of iconic scenes, and nods to gameplay mechanics.
The soundtrack includes familiar tunes from the games, hinting at potential sequels and keeping fans excited for what’s to come.
While there has already been a ton of debate over whether the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is a good adaptation of the games, there’s no denying that it was a box office success. It’s Blumhouse’s highest-grossing film at the global box office and the highest-grossing horror movie of 2023 with a global box office total of a little over $291 million. Maybe not 2023’s most successful video game adaptation — that definitely goes to the Super Mario Bros. Movie, with a whopping $1.3 billion in global box office sales — but it’s nothing to sneeze at, especially for an adaptation of an indie game.
However, we all know what the best thing about video game adaptation movies is: Easter eggs! There’s no shortage of references to the source material and the fandom in the film, and really, is it even a video game movie at all without tossing in some fun blink-and-you’ll-miss-it treasures? However, the thrill of your favorite murderous animatronics on the big screen can make it easy to miss these bits and pieces. If you’re not in the mood to go on a scavenger hunt while you’re enjoying Five Nights at Freddy’s from the comfort of your couch, you’re in luck. You can get the quick rundown of some of the best Easter eggs in Five Nights at Freddy’s right here!
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Can you survive five nights? The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse — the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone, and The Invisible Man — brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen. The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
Release Date October 27, 2023
Director Emma Tammi
Cast Josh Hutcherson , Matthew Lillard , Elizabeth Lail , Mary Stuart Masterson
Runtime 110 minutes
All the YouTuber Cameos in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s found fame back in 2014 mostly due to the overwhelming amount of YouTubers covering it in let’s plays and theory videos. It’s only right that we’d catch some of those big players in the movie! Game Theory host MatPat (Matthew Patrick) — well known for his Five Nights at Freddy’s theory videos — makes a cameo as a waiter in Sparky’s Diner. He even says his signature phrase: “it’s just a theory.” YouTuber Cory DeVante Williams (or CoryxKenshin), a YouTuber whose Five Nights at Freddy’s playthrough videos helped to catapult the series into notoriety, also makes an appearance as a cab driver. He’s seen both in the film and during the end-credits scene, where he shares the screen with another Easter egg character (more on that later.) In addition, multiple YouTubers can be seen on the Employee of the Month wall in the pizzeria, including 8-Bit Ryan, Dawko, FusionZGamer, and Razzbowski. Each of the YouTubers on this wall are popular Five Nights at Freddy’s players.
The Dream Theory and Sparky’s Diner
Image via Universal
You may have noticed that Mike (Josh Hutcherson) carries around a book on dream theory and references it several times as a means to get information about his brother’s kidnapper. While this may not be a reference to the games themselves, it’s most likely a reference to a fan theory popularized by the Game Theory channel. The theory suggests that all the events of the games — except for the mini-games of Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 — were part of a dream. While this theory is now widely refuted, it’s nice to see a nod to it in the film.
Another nod to fan theories and legends was the naming of the diner in the movie: Sparky’s. In the early days of Five Nights at Freddy’s, there was a rumor that circulated that there was a secret animatronic that could appear in the game named Sparky the Dog. While this turned out to be a hoax, it’s one of the most notable urban legends in the fandom. Besides the naming of the diner, a Sparky suit also appears in the Parts and Service room.
All the Game References in the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie
Of course, there are plenty of Easter eggs from the actual games as well! One is the fact that Mike’s alarm clock goes off at 6:00 AM, which is always the “safe time” in the games when the night ends. Another is the appearance of Chica’s Magic Rainbow — an antagonist from the second update of FNaF World — as the mascot of the ice cream shop Mike visits. The use of electricity is a great bit for anyone who has made it to the series’ fifth game, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, which was the first time it was used to temporarily stop the animatronics. We even get a reference to the Phone Guy from the first three Five Nights at Freddy’s games, though it’s from William Afton (Matthew Lillard) in the film, as Mike is given the rundown of his job duties and tips.
There are also a handful of appearances of characters from the games. Balloon Boy, an antagonist that first appears in the second game, appears a few times to frighten Mike, and shows up one last time in the end-credits scene, signifying the potential for a sequel that will incorporate some plot points from the second game onward. Similarly, we see the truly infamous Springtrap — the animatronic William Afton pilots in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 — in the final battle (and throughout the film in drawings).
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There’s also some great recreations of scenes from the games, one of which involves Springtrap. At the end of the movie, the spring lock system malfunctions and begins impaling William Afton as he falls to his knees and says his famous line: “I always come back.” This is an almost exact recreation of his “death” in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3. However, as he said, he seems to always have a way of coming back, so this may not be the last time we see Afton or Springtrap.
We get to see Freddy bite Max, which references the two instances of someone being bitten by an animatronic in the game: the Bite of ‘83 and the Bite of ‘87. The latter bite is still a big mystery for the series, as no one knows what animatronic caused the incident or who was bitten, but the incident is mentioned by Phone Guy in the first game and is cited as one of the reasons for the downfall of the Freddy Fazbear’s restaurant.
While the film got lot of criticism for its lack of scares, there’s one fright thrown in directly from the game: Foxy’s hallway sprint. Foxy had the most unique mechanics in the first game; while the other animatronics would creep around, Foxy would lie in wait until the moment he came sprinting down the hallway from Pirate’s Cove to get you. If you don’t close the door in time, he jump scares you while letting out a signature screech. This was recreated exactly for the film, and it was one of the most fun parts of the entire movie.
The ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Soundtrack
After the end-credits scene, a familiar tune can be heard. The music is the same as what the music box in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 plays, which could mean we’ll see the puppet from that game in a potential sequel!
Finally, we’ll end on a great Easter egg from the credits: the ending song. The song that plays over the credits is The Living Tombstone’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” a song that was created following the release of the first game. The Living Tombstone has continued to make Five Nights at Freddy’s songs since, so we can keep our fingers crossed to hear some of their absolute bangers in any sequels!
Five Nights at Freddy’s is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
Watch on Prime Video