Five Nights at Freddy's 2023

Movie · 109 min · English · October 25, 2023

Directed by Emma TammiWritten by Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, Emma Tammi

Starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson

Five Nights at Freddy's is a 2023 American supernatural horror film based on the video game series created by Scott Cawthon. The movie was directed by Emma Tammi, written by Cawthon, Tammi and Seth Cuddeback, and produced by Jason Blum and Cawthon. It features Josh Hutcherson in the lead role as a security guard with personal struggles who takes a job at a dangerous, long-closed pizzeria. There, he uncovers that the restaurant’s animatronic characters are haunted by the souls of murdered children, victims of a killer portrayed by Matthew Lillard from years earlier. Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Mary Stuart Masterson.

The project's development started in April 2015 under Warner Bros. Pictures. Roy Lee, Seth Grahame-Smith, and David Katzenberg were originally attached as producers, with Gil Kenan hired as director and co-writer. However, due to multiple delays, the film’s production was moved from Warner Bros. to Blum's Blumhouse Productions in March 2017. Kenan left the project that May. Chris Columbus was brought on as director and writer in February 2018, though the script underwent further rewrites before he exited in October 2022 and was replaced by Tammi. Principal filming took place from February to April 2023 in New Orleans and nearby areas, with Jim Henson's Creature Shop responsible for the animatronic designs.

The film premiered simultaneously on Peacock and in U.S. theaters on October 27, 2023, distributed by Universal Pictures. Critics largely disliked it, but it found favor among audiences and fans of the original games, proving financially successful. It earned $298 million against a budget of $20 million, marking Blumhouse’s highest-grossing release until it was surpassed by Obsession (2025). A follow-up titled Five Nights at Freddy's 2 was released in 2025, featuring most of the original team including Tammi and Cawthon, as well as the majority of the main cast returning for their roles.