Five Nights At Freddy's Creator Went Undercover During The Movie's Opening Weekend
Emma Tammi's new horror film "Five Nights at Freddy's," based on the popular line of video games, is one of the more impressive success stories of the year. The film is about a somnambulistic night watchman named Mike (Josh Hutcherson) who takes a gig watching a disused children's pizzeria, closed since the late 1980s. The pizzeria, called Freddy Fazbear's, is outfitted with an animatronic band of anthropomorphic animals like one might have seen as Showbiz Pizza back in the day. Perhaps predictably, the animatronic animals spring to life at night and slay any ne'er-do-wells in the pizzeria. The film, rated PG-13, doesn't lean into gore and mayhem, sadly, but it does contain numerous references to the original games as well as several cameos from popular YouTubers whose online commentary made the "FNaF" games popular back in mid-'10s.
Scott Cawthon famously invented the original "Five Nights at Freddy's" game in 2014 after widespread criticism of his previous video game "Chipper & Sons Lumber Co." Some reviews claimed the characters in "Chipper" made the human characters look like terrifying animatronics. Out of spite, Cawthon's next game was a horror experience with actual terrifying animatronics as characters. The game exploded in popularity when it became the widespread topic of reaction videos on YouTube, and has been a pop mainstay ever since.
It took many years of development, but the first "FNaF" film was released on October 27, 2023, and it was an enormous hit; on a budget of $20 million, "Freddy's" has already grossed $280 million worldwide.
Cawthon was curious about how the public was reacting to "FnaF," and was eager to see the reactions in person. Cawthon put on a disguise and went undercover in a public theater to do so. He related his experience in a 2023 Reddit post.
'What if Scott Cawthon was in here?'
Know that in the video game community, Cawthon is a major celebrity. "Five Nights at Freddy's" is a massive, massive phenomenon, and Cawthon's has become a household name. Cawthon reports going to a nearby theater during a 2 p.m. Thursday matinee in the film's opening week ... and being recognized by a super-fan. He wrote:
"[J]ust before the movie started a teenage boyfriend and girlfriend walked in; the girlfriend was dressed as Toy Chica, and they sat right next to me. She was obviously a super-fan (him not so much), and I heard her say as she walked in,'What if Scott Cawthon was in here?' A few seconds later after they sat down, I heard her whisper, 'That kind of looks like Scott Cawthon,' gesturing to me. He glanced over at me then whispered back to her, 'Dear, he's old.' To that I say, two things can be true at the same time."
Toy Chica is the animatronic killer shaped like a chick. The fans, however, didn't seem to want to talk to Cawthon and he reported no interactions with them. Indeed, in another theater, Cawthon reports being surrounded by a small group of superfans in costumes ... before they got up and moved to a different part of the theater. It's unclear if that group recognized Cawthon or not. "I swear I put on deodorant," Cawton wrote, "maybe not enough?"
Cawthon attended several screenings throughout the weekend, hoping to get a good reaction or fan story. One was a little odd.
'Hey, dad'
Cawthon has five children, but none of them attended his excursion with him. Still, someone either mistook Cawthon for their father, or they were just being playful to an older gent seeing a film intended for The Youths. Or it was a playfully flippant way to recognize the maker of the "Freddy's" games. Cawthon wrote:
"Friday evening's showing was the best. It was a packed crowd and I got to hear everyone cheer and clap. That was a lot of fun. I got up to go to the restroom at one point and I walked past a group of teenagers in the front row. One of them said 'Hey, Dad.' Not my son, obviously, but I did reply: 'Hey son.' So somewhere out there I have a new honorary son."
Cawthon also went to a screening on Saturday night wearing a t-shirt for his 2021 "FNaF" sequel "Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach." He said a young woman in a "FNaF" hat and t-shirt gave his outfit a glowing compliment. Again, it's unclear if that fan recognized Cawthon.
The "Freddy's" movie ultimately made about $80 million in its opening weekend, an odd phenomenon indeed, seeing as the film was released at home on the Peacock streaming service on the same day. Despite negative reviews, "Freddy's" became a legitimate phenomenon, and there is already talk of making a sequel. If Cawthon decides to attend the opening weekend of the sequel as well, then you shall likely read about it on Reddit.