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The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is finally coming out in time for Halloween, and we are here to explain the lore for those who haven’t played the games. The horror series features animatronics that come to life to haunt the people who are foolish enough to watch them. With the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie’s official trailer releasing, people are interested in learning more about the lore of the games. The series has surprisingly complicated lore told through mini-games, subtext, and minor plot details.
Every Mainline Five Night at Freddy’s Games
The franchise initially started as a low-budget indie game developed primarily by one person, Scott Cawthon. The original game was a simple story about a security guard working the night shift in a Freddy Fazbear pizzeria where the animatronics come to life at night.
Since then, seven mainline sequels to the game and several spin-offs have been released. Cawthon was the main developer of the games until the sixth entry in the series, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator. Steel Wool Studios has since been developing the series.
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location
- Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
The Basic Lore of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Explained
The backstory of the Five Nights at Freddy’s begins with William Afton and Henry Emily opening the first Fredbear’s Family Diner in the early ’80s. They soon expanded as a small chain with the opening of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and other similar locations. The pizzeria had four animatronics based on anthropomorphic animals – Freddy Fazbear, Chica the Chicken, Bonnie the Rabbit, and Foxy.
Afton turns out to be a serial killer who targeted little children. He ended up murdering Emily’s daughter Charlotte, who possesses The Puppet animatronic.
There was a separate incident at the second pizzeria location where a crying child was stuffed into the mouth of the Freddy Fazbear animatronic by his brother and friends. The animatronic malfunctioned and chomped down on the child. This event became known as the Bite of ’83.
There would be another incident where a robot bit down on a child, causing damage to the child’s frontal lobe. This incident was coined the Bite of ’87.
Afton soon killed five other children while dressed up as the animatronic character called Spring Bonnie. The Puppet transferred the five dead children’s souls into the bodies of Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, and the secret Golden Freddy. The animatronics would come alive at night and assault any adults they saw. The pizzeria eventually shut down because of the odor and blood spewing from the animatronics.
Afton soon founded a new company called Afton Robotics and opened Circus Baby’s Pizza World. He created several animatronics, including one called Circus Baby, whose purpose was to capture and kill children. Tragically, Afton’s daughter Elizabeth was slain by Circus Baby, becoming trapped in the animatronic as a spirit.
Afton eventually returned to one of the old Fazbear’s Pizzerias to dismantle the animatronics. The spirits of the children he slain manifested and chased after him. He took shelter in an old Spring Bonnie suit, which malfunctioned and crushed Afton to death from the inside. Afton was then reborn as Springtrap and haunted the Fazbear restaurants.
Meanwhile, Afton’s son Michael goes to Circus Baby’s Pizza World to free Elizabeth’s soul from Circus Baby. Circus Baby and the other animatronics at Pizza World eventually merged to become a mechanical monstrosity called Ennard. Elizabeth’s soul split from Ennard into a new machine called Scrap Baby.
Cawthon added to the various Five Nights at Freddy’s games with Pizzeria Simulator. Henry Emily, alongside the unseen protagonist of Pizzeria Simulator, gathered all the active animatronics in a new Fazbear restaurant. In the Completion Ending of the game, Emily sets fire to the building with every animatronic inside. He stayed behind to watch the whole Fazbear franchise burn.
Help Wanted and Security Breach revealed that Afton survived the fires, becoming a virus that can control other animatronics and people. Security Breach has Afton stalking an orphan boy at the new Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex shopping mall.
What Will the Movie Be About?
The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie will return the series to its simple roots. The film stars Josh Hutcherson as the infamous security guard looking after Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza at night.
While the first film keeps the story simple, there are elements in the movie that become important later in the series. Matthew Lillard will portray William Afton in the film, foreshadowing Afton’s role as the series’ main villain. The film will release on October 27 of this year.
