Scott Cawthon created Five Nights at Freddy’s from the ashes of his failed family-friendly games, particularly Chipper & Sons Lumber Co., which critics had described as having scary, animatronic-like characters, inspiring him to create a horror game.
After feeling defeated, he decided to lean into the uncanny valley, turning perceived flaws into a strength, resulting in the hugely successful horror game released in 2014 that spawned a massive franchise.
He persisted in crafting an impressive number of nine captivating games until he paused his creative endeavors in 2019.
His final masterpiece, titled “Help Wanted,” emerged as an immersive virtual reality experience that drew players into a chillingly engaging world. Fast forward to 2023, and he took on a new challenge as a producer for the eagerly anticipated FNAF movie, infusing it with his unique vision with in-game mechanics and characters. OH Senior William Wilkins-Jones said, “ I liked how they used the mask and the flashlight, like in the second game, brought into the movie.”
“It showed all the animatronics and the withered animatronics too. And it showed them how you could stop them in their gameplay by putting on the spare mask,” said OH Senior Peyton Mittman. This shows the inclusion of aspects from the original game series, keeping the storyline accurate and fans happy based on their previous knowledge.
His fervor for storytelling blossomed even further as he remained intricately involved in the project until 2025. During this time, he brought to life another film titled FNAF 2, a compelling narrative that captivated the audience, drawing them deeper into the unfolding drama.
The storyline for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 picks up a year after the first film, with Mike, Vanessa, and Abby trying to move on, but Abby’s longing to reconnect with her animatronic “friends”, reigniting the horror at a new Freddy’s location, unleashing new Toy animatronics and resurfacing deeper secrets about the original pizzeria’s origins, including the origins of the killer and the possessed Marionette (Charlotte Emily), leading to a chaotic battle involving both the original Withered animatronics and the new Toys as Mike and Vanessa fight to protect Abby from a vengeful Afton legacy.
When asked about the overall feeling of the movie, “The movie wasn’t great … there wasn’t anything flat out bad about it. It was more just mediocre to all right … changes to the lore and things like that. But that’s small things I don’t really care about. And then every time in the auditorium, whether there was a jump scare, this loud noise would play, and it hurt my ears, so I really don’t like that stuff,” said OH Senior Aaron Hospes. It is see that there is room for improvement, not that the movie was necessarily bad but could’ve been better.
After bringing up the thought of a third FNAF movie, Hospes said, “I am excited, because I think it’s going to be pretty cool. I know the third game is pretty different from the first and the second. Um, and I think they could do a lot of really cool stuff with like lore and things like that. So yeah, I’m pretty excited about it. I just hope that it turns more R-rated, because I feel like it would really help the franchise and elevate it to another level.”
Hospes also said, “Yeah, I think it should be more of a silent creepy type of horror, kind of like the games are, and less PG-13, people getting thrown out of windows, you know, loud loud noises every five seconds, you know.”
This is a big thing because the FNAF movies have been PG-13, so kids could watch them, but when thinking about horror-based movies, they tend to be rated higher. Having the movie set at a lower rating leaves a lot to be desired.
My name is Gavin Baker, I'm a senior at OHS and this is my first year as a Journalist. I enjoy playing racing games, playing airsoft and racing my Traxxas RC car. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org.
Hello my name is Jydun Browder I am a senior at Oswego high school. This will be my first year on the 42fifty staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
