Blumhouse's Five Nights At Freddy's Getting Same Day Theater And Peacock Release This Fall
Well, well, well, that Blumhouse "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie has just locked in a release date and it's just in time for Halloween!
On October 27, 2023, "Five Nights at Freddy's" will debut both in theaters and on Peacock. Most studios are shying away from day-and-date releases now that streaming is on the downturn and people are finally coming back to theaters post-COVID, but Universal Pictures still feels like feeding the beast — this is a bad idea, as we've noted in the past — so viewers will have their choice of watching this one on the big screen or from the comfort of their own home.
Based on the video game of the same name that has been terrifying players since it debuted in 2014, the movie will star Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games") as the new night watchman at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza who realizes that the creepy, rundown animatronics might not like to stay very still once the lights are off and the kids are gone.
Hutcherson is joined by Matthew Lillard ("Scream", "Scooby-Doo"), Elizabeth Lail ("You, Mack & Rita"), Kat Conner Sterling ("We Have A Ghost"), Piper Rubio ("Unstable"), and Mary Stuart Masterson ("Benny & June").
I assure you, this movie is very real
Original game creator Scott Cawthorn is heavily involved with the movie version, overseeing the production as co-writer and producer. He shares writing duties with director Emma Tammi ("Blood Moon") and Seth Cuddeback ("Mateo"). And, of course, all this is under the supervision of Blumhouse.
Most exciting, though, is that Jim Henson's Creature Shop brings the terrifying deadly animatronics to life. You don't go to Henson's legacy workshop if you're just planning on painting over their work with CGI creepers, so I'm very excited to see just how much practical effects work ends up in the movie.
If any horror movie deserves some solid practical effects, it's one that's about janky Dollar Store Chuck E. Cheese animatronics in the first place. Just imagine the tension mounting as poor Josh Hutcherson finds himself staring at a security monitor and Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy, and Chica are slowly creeping down the hall toward him. That puts a smile on my face.
The game is still hugely popular with kids and the movie adaptation stands a good chance of being a perfect gateway flick to get a new generation into horror. I guess we'll find out if that happens this October.