The depths of the Five Nights at Freddy’s rabbit hole have been expanding rapidly since the game’s release in 2014. Since the release of the first game, the fandom has created a unique culture of inside jokes, amazing art, and overall connection within the community.
More importantly, FNAF has played a big role in many teenagers’ childhoods. At the time of release, younger audiences were quick to attach to the game, inspiring fan parodies like fan games, fan art, and music.
Fan songs were some of the biggest and most popular pieces of media to come out of the community. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 Song” by The Living Tombstone sits at 403 million views on YouTube as of December 2025.
The game is famous for its detailed and well-studied lore. Online theorists have shown extensive research on putting together the hidden storyline based on gameplay of the now eight games, books, films, and DLCs.
Fans were pleasantly surprised to see their favorite deep-rooted references that snuck into the second movie. Cheers erupted in theaters after YouTuber CoryxKenshin made an appearance in the film.
“People started clapping and cheering when he showed up on the screen,” says Sophia Nieves, 26.
Fans also enjoy YouTuber and contributor to the FNAF community, MatPat, as Toy Bonnie. Songs like “Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 Song” also played in the end credits.
Original game mechanics that were integrated into the movie also play a big role in its plot. These mechanics bring back nostalgia to early players of the game.
Edward Cook, 26, says, “I liked how Mike pointed out in the movie that there were no doors in the office because that was a big complaint from players when the second game came out.”
Scott Cawthon, creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s and director of the movie, says that the film is “for the fans.” Although the movie rates low with critics, it is a 100% from long-time fans of the franchise who just get it.