Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Five Nights at Freddy’sis finally in theaters after audiences waited for almost a decade to seethe video game adaptationon the big screen. AfterEmma Tammi’s moviescored $130 millionduring its debut at the global box office, it might seem logical forBlumhouseandUniversalto develop a sequel. Thankfully, for the wide audience that the film managed to reach, the project does tease a continuation of the horrors that take place inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in more than one way. Here’s howFive Nights at Freddy’steases a sequel, leaving the door open for a second installment in the new franchise to be produced.
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 ofM3GAN,The Black Phone, andThe Invisible Man— bringsFive Nights at Freddy’sto 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.
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Leaves the Door Open for William Afton’s Return
When the marketing campaign forFive Nights at Freddy’sbegan to roll out,Matthew Lillardwasrightfully identified as William Afton, the classic villain from the video game series. But in the film, he is first introduced as Steve Raglan, a career counselor for Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson). While the protagonist of the story gets to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, Raglan is revealed to be Afton, the man behind the disappearances of many children decades before the events of the film take place.
Afton couldn’t allow Mike and his sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), to stay alive after finding out what was actually going on at the abandoned pizzeria,prompting him to put his yellow rabbit suit on once again to take even more lives. And while the rivalry between Afton and Mike js already intense enough, things get out of control when Miks realizes that he is fighting the man who took his brother’s life decades ago. With the help of Freddy, Foxy, Chica, and Bonnie, Afton is defeated, triggering a Springlock failure in his suit to impale him.
Inthe video games that inspired the movie, Afton also finds himself trapped inside his suit, remaining alive despite the deathly injuries the suit put him through. A similar fate might take place in the film series, with the animatronics dragging a desperate William away. Since he is still twitching and gasping for air when he is seen for the last time before the credits roll,it’s entirely possible for the villain known as Springtrap to come back, exactly like he promised. William Afton seemed impossible to kill in the video games, and he might be just as resilient when it comes to the movie adaptations.
What Happened to Garrett in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s?
The entire character arc of Mike revolves around the fact thathe’s obsessed with finding out who took his brother’s life, believing he will be able to look at the killer’s identity by consciously exploring his own memories of the tragedy while he sleeps. The technique would eventually allow him to communicate with the ghosts that take control ofthe animatronics from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, understanding why they want to take his sister with them. But curiously enough, Mike’s ability to speak with the dead never gives him the chance to speak with his brother. Since he was abducted and subsequently killed by Afton, couldGarrett be in control of an animatronic that hasn’t been seen yet?
When it comes to the source material, the five children that can be deduced as thepossessors of the animatronicsweren’t the only group of victims left behind by the serial killer. Freddy’s was a popular restaurant chain, with multiple restaurants throughout the United States. While he was still alive, Afton took the lives of many children, leaving a trail of violence and anger wherever he went. If the movies decide to follow the same route in the future,other Freddy’s locations could be revealed ina potential sequel,with Garrett’s ghost present in one of them.
Since Mike’s entire objective is to make peace with the tragedy that struck his family before Abby was born, it seems odd that he gets a chance to talk with other ghosts, but not with his actual brother. The police could never arrest William Afton due to a lack of evidence, and given how many years are teased to have passed between the original murders and the plot ofFive Nights at Freddy’s, it leaves the door open for more abandoned restaurants to hold secrets of their own. Mike’s search for his brother can continue, and this time, he won’t be alone for the ride.
Vanessa Has Family Issues to Take Care Of
The biggest plot twist from the film adaptation that moved away from what the games imply is how police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail)turns out to be William Afton’s daughter. After the reveal, Vanessa helps Mike and Abby in the final showdown against the merciless villain, only for her father to stab her without showing any remorse. By the end of the film, Vanessa is in the hospital, in treatment for the injuries she suffered during the final battle. But with the possibility of Afton still being alive inside his yellow rabbit costume, she might want to get involved in future attempts to take him down once and for all.
In addition to both Vanessa and William Afton still being alive,the credits ofFive Nights at Freddy’scontinue to tease a continuation to the story, with a mysterious voice spelling out the words “Find Me” before the screen fades to black.In the video game,Five Nights at Freddy’s2, mysterious 8-bit mini-games relay a similar message to the player, begging them to find a way to save the children stuck within the robots. But since the world of the movie adaptation turned out to be different from the game, it remains to be seen who’s actually sending the message. Could it be Garrett? Could it be William? Or is it a completely different person?
With a serial killer recuperating his strength and two broken families stuck in the same conflict, the main characters ofFive Nights at Freddy’scould easily come back for another round, especially considering how Abby wanted to visit her friends again, despite the fact that they almost killed her.Blumhouse is no stranger to producing popular franchises, such as theHalloweenmodern trilogy and the upcoming sequels toM3GANandThe Black Phone. After the box office results from this weekend,the future looks bright forFive Nights at Freddy’s.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is currently in theaters and available to stream on Peacock.
