Five Nights at Freddy’s is based on the video game of the same name, and you can bet there are plenty of hidden references. Here are the best Easter eggs we found in the film.
For longtime fans of the video game franchise, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie adaptation will most closely resemble the narrative of the very first game – but Easter eggs from the entire series can be spotted.
The film’s official synopsis reads “A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.”
While fans wait for news of a potential sequel, there are plenty of details to mull over in the meantime. Here are the best Easter eggs featured in the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. Warning – spoilers ahead!
Best Easter eggs in Five Nights at Freddy’s
Below is a list of some of the best Easter eggs featured in the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie.
However, the movie’s Easter eggs are sure to be something that keeps on giving. As director Emma Tammi told Dexerto, “Oh yeah, there’s a ton [of Easter eggs] in there, and I think a lot will be seen on first view, especially for fans who are so familiar with the world. Some cameos. I think there will be some immediate recognition.
“However, there’s a lot buried in there too. So I think for the fans that want to watch it more than once, or eventually maybe on their TVs at home, it’ll be a fun thing to keep discovering new details.”
You can watch the film’s trailer in full below:
Mike’s Dream Theory book
In the opening scenes of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is seen reading a book called Dream Theory. It’s heavily suggested that this is how he is able to tap into childhood memories of his kidnapped brother, Garrett (Lucas Grant).
However, it also lends to a fan theory that the entire FNAF game is a dream in itself. Some players believe that the events of the franchise stem from the mind of the crying child first featured in Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, who has suffered trauma at the hands of animatronics. However, a lot of Reddit users oppose the theory’s legitimacy in the first place.
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Mike’s 6am wake-up call before starting the security job is also significant, with 6am being the well-known ‘safe time’ for making it through another night in the games.
The security office
Visually, the security office is a huge Easter egg in the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, getting its detail down to a T.
In terms of linking back to the game, Mike’s security office looks exactly like the one players interact with in the original Five Nights at Freddy’s video game. Fans can see classic details including the fast food wrapper, striped drinks cup, and “Celebrate!” Fazbear poster all correct and present, with the monitors and doors to the hallways all remaining the same.
Mike’s security briefing features differently in the movie, taking the form of a VCR recording rather than the ominous video game phone call. Security camera footage also varies, seemingly taking loose inspiration from the first 3 games.
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria
The design of the pizzeria itself also pays homage to the original video game series.
Classic parts of the restaurant’s main section such as the stage, party area, pirate’s cove, backstage, and storage areas are all featured. While watching the movie, it feels as though the style and layout are inspired by an amalgamation of the first 2 games, before the franchise splintered off into different locations.
The arcades section of the restaurant also speaks to Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, in which players get to explore more areas of the pizzeria as a child protagonist.
Sparky’s coffee shop
When Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) propositions babysitter Max (Kat Conner Sterling) and her brother to trash the pizzeria, the group meets in a coffee shop called Sparky’s.
In the wider world of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Sparky links back to an urban legend surrounding the original 2014 game. It was rumored that there was a hidden sixth animatronic called Sparky the Dog, with some players allegedly finding it and posting screenshots on social media. However, this was later revealed to be a hoax.
The group’s server also has a nametag with “Ness” on it, potentially hinting at the nickname of longtime Five Nights at Freddy’s character, Vanessa.
YouTuber appearances
One of the biggest Easter eggs in the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is the cameo appearance of YouTuber Cory Kenshin.
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Working under the username CoryxKenshin, the creator is hailed as making the success of the video game what it has ended up becoming. In the movie, Kenshin plays a taxi driver who interacts with two major characters.
Alongside this, 8-Bit Ryan, Baz, Razzbowski, Dawko, and FusionZGamer appear in background photographs.
Springtrap
With creator Scott Cawthon making a FNAF: The Movie game based solely on the film’s plot, fans had a good idea that the character of Springtrap was set to make its return.
Luckily for fans, they’ve been proved right. Springtrap – only referred to in the movie as Yellow Rabbit – is introduced in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, which is set 30 years after the events of the original game. While trying to survive attacks from Springtrap, players learn more about the murky past of William Afton.
In the movie, Afton also assumes the role of Steve Raglan, who convinces Mike that the Fazbear security job is the only option he has left.
Balloon Boy
First introduced to players in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Balloon Boy is also a key Easter egg throughout the movie.
Though he’s not considered to be one of the film’s main characters, Balloon Boy is quick to get himself into the mix of the action. He’s first seen when Mike opens up the security office locker to retrieve his uniform, and last seen in the post-credits scene with the taxi driver.
Jeff
Jeff is an Easter egg who is so subtly mysterious that he isn’t even listed with a credit on IMDB.
As Max’s brother, he takes the lead in the plot to trash Freddy Fazbear and try to get Mike fired from his job. Sadly, this also means that he’s one of the first characters to get killed off.
However, there might be more meaning to Jeff’s name than meets the eye. In video game lore, Jeff Wilson is the manager of Fredbear’s, though only features in three minigames. He is a business partner of a character called Henry Schmidt – which is coincidentally the apparent surname of Mike’s character. This is listed in the official credits but never mentioned in the movie. There is also a character called Michael Afton in the video game series, which may come into play later down the line.
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The other animatronics
Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Carl the Cupcake aren’t the only animatronics to feature in the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie.
In the back storage room, a dog animatronic is seen slumped lifelessly on the floor. This could be a link back to the legend of Sparky alongside the name of the coffee shop. Fans also see a marionette animatronic in the storage room, which Abby is later forced into by Freddy. This could take loose inspiration from The Puppet, which is a character seen in Ultimate Custom Night.
There are also potential links to Circus Baby, introduced in Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery. While Mike is trying to escape, a doll that looks suspiciously like her is seen in the background.
The drawings
One of the visual Easter eggs seen throughout Five Nights at Freddy’s is the drawings, which are the biggest communication tool for both Abby and the ghost children.
What might not have been picked up are the images on the blackboard in Abby’s classroom. A fox and a chick can be seen in the background of classroom scenes, which could easily represent the animatronics of Chica and Foxy.
Chica’s magic rainbow
In addition to the drawings in the classroom, the drawings on the wall in Freddy Fazbear’s also hold more clues than fans might realize.
Chica’s magic rainbow can be seen amongst the pictures, which links to the FNAF world. It’s also the name of the ice cream shop that exists in the shopping mall where Mike first worked.
Other references
- The film’s opening credits resemble the minigames found throughout the franchise.
- Is the dilapidated version of Freddy that leaves the restaurant actually “Golden Freddy?”
- Arcade games like Do Not Feed the Monkey feature in the franchise and the movie’s arcade section.
- Aunt Jane’s lawyer Doug – also not credited – looks suspiciously like an aged-up Scott Cawthon… or is that just us?
Five Nights at Freddy’s is out now, while for more on the movie, check out the below articles.
- Five Nights at Freddy’s review round-up
- Five Nights at Freddy’s trailer, cast, and plot
- How to watch FNaF: Is it streaming?
- How long is Five Nights at Freddy’s?
- Emma Tammi on staying faithful to the game
- Which YouTubers are in Five Nights at Freddy’s?
- Looking out for FNaF Easter eggs
- Markiplier puts Freddy’s rumor to bed
- Why the FNaF animatronics’ eyes glow
- Five Nights at Freddy’s ending explained
- How Donnie Darko and Casino inspired FNaF
- Who dies in Five Nights at Freddy’s?
- Will there be a Five Nights at Freddy’s 2?
- Why director wanted content creators in the movie
- Five Nights at Freddy’s box office
- 5 films if you love Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Fight breaks out at early screening
- Five Nights at Freddy’s Rotten Tomatoes score
- All animatronics in the FNAF movie
- Differences between movie and game lore