Five Nights at Freddy’s evolved from being a beloved indie horror game to a full-fledged franchise sweeping the horror community. Despite reviews from critics that panned the original movie, a sequel is in the works, and it’s one of the highlights of Halloween Horror Nights 2025. I credit that to the support of children, including my seven-year-old daughter, which I find strange.
As an entertainment writer, I might give my child more leeway than the average parent to watch things if she’s genuinely interested in seeing them, within reason. While I’d balk at allowing her to watch many of the best horror movies, I think Five Nights at Freddy’s is tame enough in terms of its violence that she could watch it with me. The thing is, she has zero interest in that, and yet is still obsessed with Freddy Fazbear and all his kooky pals like other children her age.
Not only has my daughter never seen the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, she’s never played any of the games, and doesn’t even have the proper frame of reference for what it’s based on. Of course, we all know the premise is loosely tied to the Chuck E. Cheese franchise and the animatronics the nationwide chain once housed in its locations. Those are largely gone now, and while I’ve taken my daughter to Chuck E. Cheese, she’s never witnessed those classic stage shows that I grew up with in my youth.
Despite that, she is still talking about Freddy Fazbear as we prepare for the Halloween season, noticing the characters when we go to Spirit Halloween, and just received an invitation from a classmate to attend a FNAF birthday party in a couple of weeks. Based on my own experience, it appears that many young children are fond of this franchise. However, if they’re anything like my child, who has limited experience with it, it’s bizarre to me that they like it.
Five Nights At Freddy’s Has This Subtle Appeal To Kids That I Think Other Horror Franchises Don’t Have
After racking my brain a bit, trying to think of why children appreciate this franchise more than something like the best kills from the Child’s Play franchise, I think I hit on something. I look at the sheer amount of merchandise for Freddy’s that is out there, and just how much of it appeals to young children.
While horror franchises have marketed toys and other merchandise to children over the past few decades, the key difference may be in the attitude of Freddy‘s creator, Scott Cawthon. He is widely reported to be lenient when it comes to fan games and other works created using the franchise characters, provided they aren’t attempting to monetize them.
This has allowed it to spread across a variety of media, including the Roblox games and YouTube videos my daughter consumes. She may not fully understand FNAF and what it’s all about, but she likes the cuddly-looking animals and the spookiness associated with them. I’m just glad she’s a fan, and it helps her get into the Halloween spirit. Maybe I’ll hold off on showing her the movie, just in case it ruins the fun for her.
For those who want to watch Five Nights at Freddy’s, it’s available to stream right now on Starz. I might pop it on this Halloween season again, if only to get myself hype for the sequel and how this new generation of kids may continue to glorify this franchise as they get older.