#I��m still not over that William Afton’s actor

[grizzlyofthesea]

My FNAF Movie Experience

I was so excited to see the FNAF movie on opening night. I had my mom with me, we had our snacks, and of course, my costume:

I'd been waiting for this for over 8 years. The hype was real--and not just for me. I only saw one other person in full costume (dressed as Afton), but plenty of others brought their plushies and wore their best merch.

Did the movie live up to this massive anticipation?

For me, yes. It has flaws, but as a tribute to the FNAF fanbase, I adore it.

LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

There were so many nods to the fandom. Here are the ones I can remember off the top of my head:

Dream Theory appearing as a book Mike reads

Chica's Magic Rainbow being the mascot/logo of an ice cream place at the mall

The Balloon Boy jumpscares. Annoying (but surprisingly effective) every time, just like the real BB.

Afton (as Steve) over the phone telling Mike, "See you on the flipside," referencing the "Phone Guy is Purple Guy" theory

Sparky/Fetch appearing as a spare suit

CoryxKenshin making a cameo as the taxi driver (My theater FREAKED OUT at this.)

Matpat making a cameo as the waiter at the diner, even saying his famous line, "But hey, that's just a theory." (Again, the audience was very pleased.)

The aforementioned diner being called Sparky's

TLT's FNAF song playing during the end credits

The animatronics were, of course, stunning. I mean, it's the Jim Henson company. Of course they were going to be awesome. (Oh, and Bonnie gets a plaid tie instead of just plain red. Adorable.) The actors inside the costumes did really well, too, mimicking their slow, deliberate, robotic movements. Except Foxy. He wasn't played by a suit actor at all, probably because of his skinny legs. So for that, massive props to the puppeteers. Oh, and his little "dum diddly dum" song? Kellen Goff sings it here. Amazing work from Mr. Goff as always.

I know some people were disappointed by the lack of on-screen gore, but honestly, I like how the violence was handled. FNAF has always been relatively blood-free, so it's only fitting. And honestly? That silhouette of Freddy biting Max in half was chilling, and I think it wouldn't have been nearly as good if we had seen it in full.

The horror as a whole was on the tame side, but it was still enough to spook my mom. Take that for what you will.

The Balloon Boy jumpscares were hilarious. So was Mr. Cupcake. The fact that Mr. Cupcake was the biggest threat out of the main animatronics was kind of awesome. Goofy? Heck yeah. But it's so silly that, at least for me, it loops back to being awesome.

Mike and Abby had an adorable sibling dynamic, and I am SO GLAD that Vanessa didn't end up as a love interest for Mike. Mike communicating with the children's spirits and taking damage from them through his dreams isn't something I expected, but I found it interesting. The Golden Freddy kid being the de facto leader of the missing children (and a manipulative little troll) was very fitting, too.

Art, specifically children's drawings, was a notable focus of the movie; the drawings seemed to symbolize communication, imagination, and escapism. I thought this was a creative way to incorporate the children's drawings that we've seen in the background since the first FNAF game.

Matthew Lillard as William Afton/Spring Bonnie/Springtrap doesn't get enough screentime, but he absolutely kills it when he's in the spotlight. I just wish there was more of him. Same goes for the animatronics.

Overall, while this isn't a perfect film, I love it so, so much. I can't wait to see what the future holds in terms of sequels, too; at the very end of the credits, "My Grandfather's Clock" plays, and a Speak 'n' Spell spells out "C O M E F I N D M E." FNAF 2 and the Puppet are at the very least being teased!

[mute-call]

"You--? S-Sorry, Mr. Afton. I guess I was pretty distracted." He laughs tonelessly, struggling and failing to recall any noise in the background before William had appeared. He believes the other man's account over his own recollection, however; Steven's very good at keeping alert when he picks up night shifts, but this is different. It's easy to get in his own head when there's no threat of danger keeping him grounded in reality.

Except if he's right about William, then who's to say he's not in danger right now? What if his boss had noticed him thinking a little too hard and had decided to make him disappear? A single bullet, a quick slash of a knife... Afton could have done almost anything while Bell had been sitting there, oblivious to the world.

The thought makes Steven freeze, and he masks it with a flat, emotionless smile. If nothing else, at least he's gotten good at burying his true feelings deep beneath this blank veneer.

...a skill William shares, perhaps? No, that can't be it. Afton's too... vulnerable. It's one thing to hide your feelings, and quite another to keep up an entirely different persona day after day. No one's that good of an actor, right?

Maybe Steven's wrong about the man's involvement in these disappearances. God, he hopes so.

Bell laughs again, this time a little more earnestly, and nods without making eye contact. Maybe he's wrong. Maybe he's delusional. Mr. Afton's always been kind to him. Why in the world would someone like that want to hurt anyone?

He stands, ready to trail along after. If only he could be certain.

"How..." he starts, his voice failing him for a moment. "How are you holding up?" Maybe he can gently prod, convince himself one way or another based on William's reactions. Aren't there signs when someone's lying? He's seen something like that on TV. Like in Columbo--as long as he keeps it casual and light, Afton's sure to slip up.

"It must be scary, knowing they haven't caught the guy yet." Far too direct! "Just because it's a lot to manage, m-making sure people still--you must be under a lot of stress."

》 Dull hues and knitted brows begot gentle creases that fit William's caring persona like a glove. Afton had taken special care to enter the room as quietly as possible, deriving sick fascination out of even the most miniscule iota of fear. He knew Steve well enough by this point to recognize his patterns. The man had a tendency to disassociate into a world of his own creation — much like that of the children he had sworn to protect. Perhaps a child-like mind was what drew him to a job this in the first place.

》 What the other thought of, frankly, wasn't of too much interest to William under normal circumstances. However, with the subject of the missing children being whispered in hushed tones, he'd thought it might be best to stay alert regarding what his own employees thought about the matter. It would have been more than wishful thinking to pretend that anyone's mind might wander to a more benign subject after their chatter had silenced. He could feel it, too. A peculiar aura seemed to manifest around the engineer; one brought on by the townspeople themselves. While the jury in the court of public opinion was still out, he needed to maintain all of the hallmarks of an innocent man — especially around his employees.

❝ Everything ok in here, bud? I knocked, but you didn't answer. ❞

》 He had not, in fact, knocked. Adding an element of self-doubt into Steve's daily routine was just what the guard needed to crack. False confessions certainly weren't uncommon in this day and age - who's to say that Steve wouldn't eventually succumb to that fate as well? The pressure felt like it was rising, yet he still maintained a demure demeanor.

❝ You look unwell.... Wanna join me for a smoke? I.... think it might both do us some good to get some fresh air. Well, might not be the freshest after we're done with it, huh? ❞

》 A nervous hint of a laugh graces the surrounding air, followed instantaneously by a fragile smile. His ego held their weight, managing to piece together fragments of himself while the id feigned innocence. Contented with his handiwork, William quietly retired his speech and awaited a response.