Five Nights at Freddy's director unveils surprising link to Todd Phillips's Joker

The upcoming horror film Five Nights at Freddy's, based on the wildly popular video game franchise of the same name, is getting ready for its October premiere on the big screen. The video game follows a young night security guard who must battle a deadly animatronic every night for his life in a dying amusement park.

While the films have been praised throughout the years for their one-of-a-kind intriguing plot, filmmaker Emma Tammi recently revealed that the film draws its inspiration from none other than the 2019 psychological thriller Joker. The film's director commented on it in an interview with Total Film.

"We were constantly referencing Steven Spielberg – you know, that childhood wonderment quality. Alongside kind of a darker world that felt akin to Joker. Some of our scenes that have to do with our main character's backstory and memory were also influenced by a [Terrence] Malick-esque camera style, to give them a more dreamlike quality… those scenes that were taking place in forest campground settings. There were a lot of different types of references we were pulling to really craft something that felt unique."

Joker and Five Nights at Freddy's employ a gloomy and subdued color scheme to create an atmosphere. Using subdued, dark colors gives off an uneasy, ominous vibe. Even before anything negative occurs, it gives the spectator the impression that something is amiss.

Both projects have darker and more subdued worlds that add to the overall mood and tone of the narrative. They give the audience the impression that something horrible is about to happen and induce a feeling of dread and anxiety. However, the defining nature of both tales is that they flawlessly investigate the dark side of human nature, a factor that both films have been praised for in cinematic history.

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What is the horror drama Five Nights at Freddy's about?

The survival horror point-and-click game of the same name, created and released by Scott Cawthon for the PC in 2014, inspired the film Five Nights at Freddy's.

In the upcoming horror film, Mike Schmidt starts working as Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's night-shift security guard. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was a Chuck E. Cheese establishment closed down after numerous children went missing in the 1980s. But he soon discovers that the four mechanical mascots of the park are now home to the ghosts of the kids, and they want Mike's sister, Abby, to join them.

The official synopsis of the film, as per Universal Pictures, reads:

"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."

Five Nights at Freddy's stars well-known actor Josh Hutcherson in the lead role. The actor is best known for his role in the Hunger Games trilogy and has starred in many acclaimed projects throughout the years, like Bridge to Terabithia, Little Manhattan, Red Dawn, Epic, RV, Burn, and many others.

While the casting for Five Nights at Freddy's has been kept under wraps, Vulture revealed in February that Piper Rubio was cast as Mike's sister. Matthew Lillard has also been cast in the film. However, his role has yet to be disclosed.

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Five Night at Freddy's premieres in theatres on October 27, 2023.