Released on November 8, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is the adaptation of a hugely successful video game. Several directors have succeeded one another to bring this horrific point & click to the screen…
What is it about ? Mike, a troubled young man, takes care of his 10-year-old sister Abby. He is still haunted by the disappearance, never clarified, of his little brother, which occurred around ten years ago. Recently fired, he absolutely needs to find a job so as not to lose custody of Abby. He therefore accepts a position as night watchman in an abandoned restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But it doesn’t take long for Mike to understand that appearances are terribly deceptive. With the help of Vanessa Shelly, a police officer, he is confronted, at night, with inexplicable supernatural phenomena and falls into a nightmarish universe…
Musical chairs
At the origin of Five Nights At Freddy’s (which was a surprise success at the American box office), there is a video game in point & click the first episode of which was released in 2014. The success was such that eight sequels have since seen the light of day, as well as four spin-offs, several literary series and an animated series.
Hollywood was obviously quick to become interested in an adaptation of Five Nights At Freddy’s given its success. The first project dates back to 2015. It was during the Warner Bros. era. who has the rights, with director Gil Kenan (Monster House) at the helm. But production delays multiplied, so much so that the studio put the project into recovery. In 2017, Blumhouse Productions is at the helm of a new adaptation project, with Chris Columbus directing, but the latter leaves the ship in 2021. It is ultimately Emma Tammi who replaces him in 2022. She had already worked on two horror series and a documentary for Blumhouse TV.
Universal pictures
From The Muppet Show to Five Nights At Freddy’s
To bring the film’s terrifying animatronic creatures to life, the production called on Jim Henson’s workshop, which notably created the legendary characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Dark Crystal. The creation of the characters was meticulous and required a colossal amount of work, particularly to ensure that each creation was unique.
Jason Blum says: “The artists at the Jim Henson Creature Shop are brilliant. The creatures are teeming with detail and they are so successful that they immerse you in the world of Freddy’s. The artists felt an overwhelming responsibility since they were reprising characters loved by fans whose graphics already existed. But they invested a lot in their research and worked hand in hand with Scott. We couldn’t have dreamed of a better team than Jim Henson to develop these creatures.”.
The presence of the animatronic creatures on the set considerably facilitated the work of the actors, who were able to fully invest themselves in their roles.
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The animatronics
Before filming began, Emma Tammi and stunt director Andy Dylan oversaw a month of rehearsals with the puppeteers, animatronic character performers and creature effects supervisors to fine-tune the integration of the creatures on set and ensure for everyone’s safety.
To operate Foxy, the most complex creature, up to six puppeteers were required (for the face, head, arms and feet).
As for costume rehearsals, it took Kevin Foster, Jess Weiss and Jade Kindar-Martin (who play Freddy, Chica and Bonnie respectively) an hour to don their animatronic suits. At the start of filming, it took about a quarter of an hour to dress them and, towards the end of filming, the crew managed to dress all three performers in less than five minutes.
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A horror star in the casting
To play the self-confident career counselor, Steve Raglan, who accompanies Mike in his job search, the production called on Matthew Lillard, known for Scooby-Doo, 13 Ghosts and especially Scream. “There were a lot of actors we were thinking about for the role. I thought about Lillard very early on because I had great memories of him in Scream which I must have seen a good twenty times in the cinema with my roommates in college, but when a very good friend of mine told me that he was a wonderful guy and that he was extremely nice to his fans at conferences and conventions, I realized that he fit the role perfectly “enthuses Scott Cawthon.
The actor was delighted to reconnect with the horror genre and collaborate with Blumhouse: “I was eager to reconnect with horror cinema and I was really waiting for an opportunity to present itself! I know what it means to make a film with Jason Blum and I know how sensitive audiences are to his name. Needless to say, it was totally exhilarating!”
Our meeting with producer Jason Blum and director Emma Tammi: