Spoilers below for anyone who still hasn’t walked through the pizzeria doors of Five Nights at Freddy’s, so be warned!
While Blumhouse and Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s may not hit the same box office heights as that other 2023 video game adaptation, it crushed so hard on its opening weekend that director Emma Tammi’s sequel hopes seem like they’ll be fulfilled by the powers that be. But while waiting to see where the franchise goes next, FNAF can be re-streamed in full with a Peacock subscription as often as one desires. Which is definitely the best way for fans to discover all the easter eggs and references peppered throughout, since trying to pause a movie in theaters won’t make you any friends.
Below is a selection of the fun and faz-tastic details that I noticed during my streaming rewatch (which coincided with my daughter’s 27th viewing), as well as a couple of questionable moments that don’t have any major impact on the plot.
Foxy's Weirdly Deep Voice
During the opening scene, in which the film’s first death takes place, Ryan Reinike’s nameless guard is approached by Foxy, whose scatting skills don’t quite sit right with me. Beyond any game connections, the moment implies within the film’s own canon that Foxy is capable of producing a low and bass-y adult human voice, despite being possessed by the soul of a child. Not sure how that works, but it kind of freaks me out as much as anything else in this movie.
Matthew Lillard's Purple Credit
Even if fans hadn’t already guessed Matthew Lillard’s identity twist before watching, the opening credits kinda sorta featured its own major nod by having the actor’s credit appear in purple. While it wasn’t the only name to show up in that hue, his antagonist William Afton is also known as Purple Guy from his sporadic game appearances, so it can be no coincidence.
Mike Only Rewinds His Tape, Rather Than Flipping It
I don’t understand why Mike doesn’t just flip his Nature Sounds cassette rather than rewinding it every morning. If the other side features sounds that aren’t to his liking, he could just put the one he likes on both sides of a blank cassette. Not Mike’s biggest problem, but perhaps indicative of why he’s not the best planner. Although it could technically also be a nod to William Afton saying, "I will catch you on the flip side."
Chica’s Magic Rainbow
While there are various rainbows that pop up in Abby’s drawings, as well as the drawings on the wall in the pizzeria, it’s the ice cream shop near the beginning of the film that features a more specific rainbow reference: the smiling face of Chica’s Magic Rainbow, the initially friendly character first introduced as a boss in FNAF World. What’s more, the boss fight ends with the character being blown up, so the new flavor “Rainbow Explosion” is itself a deeper reference.
Seemingly The Only Specific Timestamp In The Movie
As far as I could tell, the only time the current year is identified throughout the film happens in the first security camera shot, after Mike attacked the dad in the mall. The date is specified as being 4/6/2000.
“Steve Raglan” Has A Rabbit’s Foot Keychain
As seen on his desk, career counselor Steve Raglan is rocking a rabbit’s foot on his keychain, which is another slight bit of foreshadowing hinting at the character’s true identity.
The School's Spelling Word List Is Way Too Referential
Being able to pause the movie on the shot where the spelling words are seen on the chalkboard was a win, since that list is filled with specific references that make the teacher seem kind of scary in retrospect. How did she pick so many elements that can be explained as game references? Here’s the full list below:
- Musician, Puppet, Junior, Heart, Rapid, Bear, Liberty, Trophies, Bunny, Project, Manager, Fox, Town, Vein, Chick, Wrinkle
There’s Another Name Under Mike’s On That VHS Tape
Upon further inspecting the VHS tape that was left in the VCR for Mike to watch on his first night, it appears as if the sticker with his name on it was affixed to one meant for someone named “Fritz.” It’s admittedly hard to tell for sure what the first letters are, but the last letters seem clear enough. Plus, there are two very important characters named Fritz within Five Nights at Freddy’s lore: 1. The FNAF 2 security guard Fritz Smith, and 2. the child’s soul that possesses Foxy.
MatPat’s Waiter Name
Game Theory YouTuber MatPat delivered a great cameo as the waiter of the diner Sparky’s, which is itself a reference to the non-legitimized Sparky the Dog rumor. But an additional layer to that scene is his character’s name, Ness, which isn’t a FNAF reference, but rather one about MatPat’s theory that Undertale’s Sans is actually EarthBound’s Ness.
Carl The Vandal Is Wearing A Midnight Motorist Shirt
Joseph Poliquin’s property-destroying character Carl is actually wearing one of the movie’s more unique references, as his T-shirt is a reference to the minigame “Midnight Motorist” from Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. Which sparks all kinds of “chicken or the egg” questions about where that shirt actually came from.The Ella Animatronic
The Ella Animatronic
I obviously noticed this particular animatronic during the movie, as it’s the one that Mike nearly gets his hand mangled inside, and the one that Chica was trying to stuff Abby inside. But I wasn’t completely sure of who it was when I first watched. Now, however, I was able to make sure that it was indeed Ella, with the rosy cheeks and lips referencing the toy that Fazbear Entertainment co-founder Henry Emily created for his daughter Charlotte. Ella first appeared in Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley’s novel The Twisted Ones.
Max Is Seemingly Inside A Shadow Freddy Suit
The unreliable babysitter Max made the worst move possible by joining her brother’s scheme to further destroy Freddy’s already rough-looking pizzeria, as she was not only chomped to death, but was revealed to be the new owner and occupier of a purple felted suit. She wasn’t wearing a mask, which made it easier to recognize the human character, but it’s possible she’ll be spending more time in the franchise in Shadow Freddy form, while fellow cohort Hank appeared to be inside the Fetch suit.
While these obviously aren’t indicative of every single nod to the games and novels, it definitely matched up with all the more obvious references and easter eggs that I noticed during my first viewing. Hopefully it won’t be long before a Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel gets announced, but there are thankfully lots of other upcoming horror movies to look forward to in the meantime.
