The Best Horror Franchise Ever

Hello? Hello hello? Charlie?

Oh hi, welcome to your first night here at Freddy’s! Before we get to talking about the job I wanted to thank all of those who read my first article. I was excited to share my interest for the Spider-Verse and I’m happy to see you enjoyed learning about it. However it’s time to talk about my biggest interest of all…Five Night’s at Freddy’s!

A little warning: this is a horror franchise, so be prepared!

What is it?

Five Night’s at Freddy’s (or FNaF) started off as a 2014 Indie horror game made by Scott Cawthon. It’s a fairly simple point and click with a few hidden elements of story. However it quickly exploded in popularity. 10 years later here we are with 14 main video games (counting DLCs seperately), a movie, a second movie which will soon start filming and a LOT of books…I lost count. 

So what made it so popular? Well the gameplay, although pretty simple, was brand new and addictive, the atmosphere was just the right type of creepy and the story cleverly exposed in a way that left people looking for more. It was also a pioneer in the mascot horror genre which was just perfect for internet at the time. 

Oh you want to know what happens in the story…yes uh…Let’s say the franchise earned the title of « most confusing lore that no one agrees on ». But here is a simple summary of the start of this story: Man in the 80’s who may or may not be British kills children because he’s sad that his child is dead (he doesn’t care about the two others). Plotwist, no one really dies in fnaf so it starts getting a bit spooky. 

But the best thing about fnaf in my opinion is that you can never get bored of it. Some people are crazy about the gameplay and will tell you all about their new secret technique to beat 50/20. Some others will present their new theory backed up by the most insignificant looking details (that’s me). Some are mostly here for the movie and nothing else, and some have lost their sanity reading all the books. Whatever form of media you like you’ll always find a way to have fun with this franchise. 

I’m interested, how do I get into it?

Because it has existed for 10 years and has so much content, it can be hard to know where to start. But fear not because I’m here to help! 

The games: 

The franchise started with a video game so im starting my guide with it. Here are the most important games in order of release:

• Five nights at Freddy’s 1
• Five nights at Freddy’s 2
• Five nights at Freddy’s 3
• Five nights at Freddy’s 4
• Fnaf Sister Location
• Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Simulator (my favorite!)
• Fnaf world*
• Ultimate Custom Night (UCN for short) 
• Fnaf Help Wanted (VR game) 
• Fnaf Help Wanted Curse of Dreadbear DLC (VR game)
• Fnaf AR: Special Delivery**
• Fnaf Security Breach 
• Fnaf Security Breach Ruin DLC
• Fnaf Help Wanted 2 (VR game) 

*A lot of people don’t consider fnaf world essential. When it came out a big portion of the fandom despised it, leading to Scott himself considering it a mistake. But recently people are rediscovering it and I personally think it is a valid and important game. 

**Special Delivery’s servers were shut down recently and I believe you can’t download it anymore :( 

(There are also non-canon games not listed here.)

There are a variety of game mechanics and environments throughout this list. You are guaranteed to find one you like. But if you’re looking to understand the story, only playing those, especially in this order, might confuse you more than anything. 

The story:

There is no real way of knowing the story. One of the elements that made fnaf so new and interesting was its implicit storytelling that forces us the players to find our own answers through thinking and observation. The fanbase is therefore known for its community of theorists. If you want an idea of what is going on, here is my guide:

The wiki: https://freddy-fazbears-pizza.fandom.com/wiki/Five_Nights_at_Freddy%27s_Wiki

You may not find the story exposed to you clearly there but you can find specific characters and games. 

The full GT playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHf0nQmXTTZuhbWtt3rYJ-eQw93rXIY1N&si=sG_7xPC07eDnTpzX

The Game Theorists are not only the biggest theorists of the internet but they’re also the biggest fnaf theorists. Most popular theories were either made or voiced by them. However you may notice when clicking this playlist that they have made a lot of videos. It would discourage anyone to have to watch them all. Half of those theories have been abandoned anyways. So in case you want a quick recap watch this more recent series:

The ultimate GT timeline: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7wHWUYByy2zgbfDiZpJDnasCpPTaKYiS&si=cY2v7YgPkhVzpbyx

Although not necessarily agreed on, this big theory gives you a general idea of the story. It also illustrates the subjects that are most discussed, such as the status of the books and the…The whole of Security Breach. Keep in mind that those videos were made before Ruin DLC and Help Wanted 2 were released, and that general opinions on some elements may have shifted since then.

In case here are other content creators I like:

Fuhnaff: https://youtube.com/@FuhNaff?si=xwCP2aCw2Yl9ozMq

ID’s fantasy: https://youtube.com/@IDsFantasy?si=25gpTdNUnFbIsCTO

RyeToast: https://youtube.com/@RyeToast?si=dTCRUgIpangjA3pN

Hyper Droid (good at summarizing and simplifying in my opinion): https://youtube.com/@HyperDroid?si=4V-zjWR6NBA938j-

Dawko (mostly does gaming but has a series summarizing the books): https://youtube.com/@Dawko?si=t7EaSZM9vSfHvoQj

And in case you’re still lost don’t hesitate to ask me directly! Trust me I’d love to talk about the fnaf lore with you. 

The Movie:

At the end of 2023 we finally got the anticipated fnaf movie (Which had been in development hell for a whole 8 years)! I personally loved it. I was scared of what fnaf would look like in live action, but they absolutely nailed it. The animatronics and environment look just like the original. The actors also did a very good job. It’s full of fun references all over the place. Overall it’s amazing and I would highly recommend. A fair warning though, it is slightly gory at times. It also doesn’t follow the game’s story exactly so don’t be surprised if it’s different from what you know. 

The Books:

Oh boy, here we go. Before we get into this we have to establish the status of those books. According to Scott they are technically not canon, so they won’t follow the story of the games. However, they are also a little bit canon, which means they could be used to back up theories on the canon…? It’s really frustrating but all you need to know right now is that there are 3 main series:

• The Trilogy, composed of The Silver Eyes, The Twisted Ones and The Fourth Closet. They follow a girl named Charlie and the story is not too far from the canon one as well as the movie. However, without spoilers I can tell you it takes some twists that might leave you confused. There are novel and visual novel versions. 

• Fazbear Frights. It’s known to be the longest series of books in this franchise. I believe there are 12 of them. Each book contains 3 mini scary stories as well as part of a story that stretches throughout all the books. Beware, those sometimes contain more gore than the games. They are in novel form but there are a few visual novels. 

• Tales from the Pizzaplex. It’s a more recent ongoing series and I believe it works like Fazbear Frights, expect it leans more into the universe of later games, especially Security Breach. 

There are other books such as the Survival Logbook, the Coloring Books and the Cookbook. Don’t ask questions. 

The songs:

Because of its popularity a bunch of people have made fnaf fan songs. Some are masterpieces and some others are questionably good but hold nostalgia. I decided to share the most iconic and my favorites with you through a Spotify playlist. I also took the time to put all the songs in the order of the games. Here it is:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20QTiue6IugpmXBjQoeqBb?si=mrvWoglJRdqWMdzGjQLJcQ

In conclusion:

Fnaf has influenced the gaming industry, the movie industry, the book industry and internet in immense ways. It may look like a silly horror franchise but I strongly believe it changed lives, including mine. So I really hope I was able to make you at least a tiny bit curious about it. And if you have anymore questions or just want to talk about haunted animatronics, feel free to comment! 

Sam