"It felt like the right fit": Five Nights at Freddy's  director reveals there won't be a R-rated cut of the film

Horror fans were expecting the upcoming film Five Nights at Freddy's, a PG-13 film, to one day be available for streaming in an R-rated version. However, the director of the film, Emma Tammi, recently told Forbes that there is no R-rated cut of the film.

In July 2023, it was revealed by multiple sources that Five Nights at Freddy's had a PG-13 rating, which disappointed many fans of the Bite of 87. This was recently confirmed by the film's director in an interview with Forbes.

"I would say not to expect an R-rated version on this one. We're really happy with how the PG-13 tone landed; it felt like the right fit for this particular film. We're sticking by it," Tammi told the publication

The upcoming horror film is an adaptation of the popular video game series that has the same name. It stars Josh Hutcherson (Known for his role in Hunger Games) as a security officer named Mike who starts working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. However, things take a turn when he finds out that the pizzeria's animatronics come to life at night and intend to kill anybody inside.

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Why Five Nights at Freddy's wont have an R-rated version

Emma Tammi discussed the internet's rumors about an R-rated director's version of her upcoming film Five Nights at Freddy's. The film is set to premiere in theaters and on Peacock on October 27, 2023, but it won't have an R-rated cut.

The director told Forbes that the team was aware that some of their fans wanted an R-rated version of the film but added that they wanted to "be inclusive of the younger" viewers as well.

"On the one level, we wanted to be inclusive of the younger audiences and knew we were going to hit the PG 13 rating, but for the audience that also wanted that level of violence, if you will, or at least insinuation of violence, we really wanted to still include elements that felt dark," Tammi said.

She added that fans shouldn't expect an R-rated cut of the film as the team was happy with how the PG-13 version had turned out to be. Calling it the "right fit" for the film, she said that they were "sticking by it."

Tammi explained the PG-13 rating in an additional interview with Total Film magazine. She noted that she intended her adaption to serve as a gateway horror movie for adolescent viewers.

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Why Five Nights At Freddy’s PG-13 rating isn't that bad of a news

There are a number of reasons why Five Nights at Freddy's PG-13 rating isn't all that horrible, other than Tammi's belief that the film can still be scary and violent without an R-rating.

First of all, it closely resembles the games, most of which don't include a lot of gore, blood, or other content that's only appropriate for players over the age of 18.

Based on the Scott Cawthon-created video game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's shot to great success after its first release in 2014. Gamers must survive a barrage of aggressive animatronic figures within the haunted Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria in order to advance through the games.

The games do have dark elements (in both plot and game mechanics) but very little gore and other triggering scenes (Aside from FNAF: Sister Location) if none at all.

Additionally, as Tammi herself has stated, her film is far more approachable for moviegoers because of its PG-13 classification. This level of accessibility is fantastic news for the box office chances of Five Nights at Freddy's since the horror film is already expected to launch to a very solid $50 million nationally in the US.

For those looking for another installment in the FNAF universe, a big box-office performance would be nothing more than good news as well. Box office results will play a major role in Blumhouse's willingness to continue the film adaptation of the popular indie horror game series.

Tammi has already stated that she wants to explore this eerie universe more, with Five Nights At Freddy's 2 and other installments alongside Josh Hutcherson.

Though it appears that those expecting an R-rated, more violent adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy's are going to be disappointed, there is cause for optimism over the potential of the PG-13 version.

As mentioned earlier, the film is set to be released in theaters and on Peacock on October 27, 2023.