Five Nights At Freddy's: Blumhouse Horror Film Lands An Unexpected Rating
"Five Nights at Freddy's" has already changed YouTube and modern horror, and now it's set its sights on taking over the box office, with Blumhouse bringing the legendary video game to the big screen. For all intents and purposes, the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie looks incredibly promising (especially given the state of most video game adaptations), and the first trailer delivers a haunting night watch. However, the movie's recent rating by the Motion Picture Association may be surprising.
"Five Nights at Freddy's" will be rated PG-13 for "strong violent content, bloody images, and language." According to the MPA, parents should be cautious when taking their children to the movie, as some parts may be inappropriate for younger audiences.
Given the nature of the horror genre, the rating may be unexpected for many fans, as the movie industry generally favors R-ratings, giving studios plenty of wiggle room for gruesome scares. Although cute animatronics are the center of attention in "Five Nights at Freddy's," the video games get pretty mature, covering some brutal topics with even more horror-inducing imagery, so many expected the film to end up with an R rating.
However, a PG-13 rating is far from the end of the world, as the studio can still include plenty of scares and likely created the movie with the lower rating in mind. After all, "Five Nights at Freddy's" is also incredibly popular among younger gamers, and an R rating would've prevented a large portion of the fanbase from seeing the horror on the big screen.
Fans are divided on Five Nights at Freddy's rating
As of right now, "Five Nights at Freddy's" fans are relatively split on what the PG-13 rating means for the movie. Some remain excited, while others worry that the lower rating will limit the live-action adaptation.
On Twitter, @cosmic_oro said, "They rate it PG-13 because the only adults that are going to see this movie are the parents who are dragged to the theaters by their 9-12 year-olds who stock their rooms with 'FNAF' plushies." Although their statement is somewhat aggressive, their overall point is valid because, as mentioned, PG-13 allows the younger "FNAF" fans to see the movie in theaters, whereas an R rating wouldn't. On that note, @CinemaTimeNews wrote, "Excellent choice cause they knew kids who play the game and love it will wanna see it." @BinksReviews pointed out that the video games were rated T for teens, and PG-13 is the movie equivalent to the ESRB rating, so "Five Nights at Freddy's" should be just fine.
On the other hand, some people are genuinely angry that they won't get an R-rated "Five Nights at Freddy's." @Mighty1Lucas is giving up all hope after seeing the rating, saying, "This is such a missed opportunity. How can this movie not be R? [It] makes no sense. My hype for this movie has gone from 100 to 0. This is going to be a straight bomb." Finally, others, like @zrezque_, @meraritao7, and @Mutant_Menace, hope Universal and Blumhouse capitalize on a growing trend in Hollywood, releasing an R-rated cut of "Five Nights at Freddy's" at a later date.