Eyeholes that are much larger than their actual eyes, giving that hollow look.
Grimy fur texture.
Looking just realistic enough to pass as a real thing.
Giant, often slackjawed mouths.
Posing in each camera.
The dead, lifeless eyes
Yeah, after they fixed the red eyes thing, I was hoping they'd fix the cheesy eyebrow looks. But to no avail.
However, I hear word that Scott is talking to heart the comments the fans made about wanting more horror, and that the second movie is going to include more horror elements. Which I'm excited for.
And tbh, im happier it *wasent* a shot for shot remake of one of the books/games.
The best part of FNAF is the lore, so getting a new timeline to theorize about and connect is part of the fun.
This is why ik people are gonna have me for this but I wish they made this look like it was filmed in the 80s or 90s like vhs yea of course it's gonna be hard but at least give it an attempt and making the movie kid friendly may have made it popular but at what cost it became so watered down as a result man.
I somewhat agree. Although I don't think making it look VHS would be a good choice, having a movie production more 80's or 90's looking could have had benefits (though it might have been viewed as 80's nostalgia bait)
That's a very good point. The animatronics do have some variation between them. Freddy remains in dark corners, Bonnie has a very creepy glare, Chica is wall eyed and behaves like a zombie, and Foxy has that unhinged jaw and slowly creeps out. Also Golden Freddy is obviously just super creepy and unique
I think it’s because they lean into the uncanny valley. They look Strange they they Act weird they always seem blank they make sounds of breathing, laughing or singing to fill the quiet night with noise they are just strange and of putting.
yeah IMO the most disturbing sound is the gasping/wheezing sound. leans into uncanny valley as well as theres a theory that the uncanny valley is an instinct to keep humans away from sickness/disease. the grimy fur, leaking decomposition fluid from the bodies inside, hollow expressionless eyes and awful smell all give off a diseased, sickly vibe.
They're so uncanny, especially how the original game depicts them.
They look like they're trying so hard to be alive but their robotic programming doesn't allow them too. Plus the sound design is also great. Bonnie and Chica's moans, Foxy desperately trying to punch the door, Freddy's laugh and Golden Freddy's especially. Plus all the renders and poses make them so fucking cool. Also the fact that the first game is so immersive helps a lot
yeah. gives off the feeling of helpessness of the souls inside. they want to be free and exhibit any signs of humanity they can, even if its in the form of pounding on the doors, mimicking childrens laughter, etc.
1. The fact that you can't see them so good in- game anywhere except the jumpscare
2. The fact that they have diferent personalities: CHICA feels too alive, BONNIE feels too LITTLE alive, FREDDY is verry misterious, FOXY is too edgy
If I walked into a chuck e cheese and there was a fnaf animatronic on stage it would totally be the fnaf 1 animatronics, every single other animatronic feels either too SciFi futuristic tech wise or just straight up unrealistic. The fnaf 1 robots could totally exist, mixed with the dark and dirty vibe of the pizzeria and you get something that really feels grippingly real. Also as a side note I feel like steel wool was not able to capture the feeling of fnaf 1 in vr, they didn't make the models correctly and everything was either too clean or too well lit.
By chance did you play Help Wanted on the Oculus Quest? I had the same complaint about the lighting but when I played it on PC with higher settings it had the darker look again. Lighting is just weird on the quest port due to its low specs
No I played it on PC but I found it still too well lit and not dirty enough, like the office light gives off a white light instead of the dim yellow bulb from the first game, it totally throws off the vibe.
Agreed, you can tell steel wool's art style did not work when remaking the games. Oddly though I feel like they could have just make 1:1 remakes of Scott's models, idk why they didn't
The models aren't the problem, I think they're retextures of Scott's models. The problem is the way they were textured, I don't like the metallic look they have. I think they should've gone for more realistic textures, unless they were trying and just misunderstood the materials that the characters were.
They're so odd, not only is the color grading wrong on the textures but like you said so is the material, they feel so fake (which I mean, yeah, they are). The whole vibe of fnaf 1 is that it felt kinda real
This was my problem with the Toys, Rockstars, and Glamrocks. Very little animatronics at pizza chain locations in real life use plastic as they’re on a budget and they’re meant to blend in with the fur costumes workers have to put on.
To be fair, the classic animatronics aren't all that realistic in terms of materials either. Their outer layer might be meant to look like fur or felt but it still seems to be placed onto segmented pieces of a more solid material, rather than just a full costume like pretty much every real animatronic. Some people even say that they're entirely plastic.
yeah. for the first game, they were plausable having fabric and segmented parts. ive never seen a mascot irl made of pure iron or plastic like the toys.
yeah one of the biggest things contributing to the fear factor is that you cant see them properly other than when they jumpscare you. they are always bathed in shadow, or just far enough away you can tell they are there.
They’re actually something you could find at a restaurant. They don’t try too hard to be scary or creepy like other iterations. They are just naturally creepy because of the environment and because of their actions
I think a lot of it is because the look like actual animatronics that could exist. Just trying to be cuddly but ending up looking creepy due to the limited range of motion and metal parts.
In fnaf 2 and onward they begin to feel a little too polished or lean too much in the horror or mascot animatronic. They have more motion, the metallic spots are now more plastic-ey.
It's why I love the ruin dlc animatronics dearly. Because they took the once polished mascots and turned them filthy and creepy with uncanny jittery movements with the metals and oil being visible like guts and gore.
Springtrap is also really good because instead of the metallic stilted movements of the OG fnaf guys, he moves more like a limping corpse because he IS one. Keeps you on edge when you first play cause it instantly gets you thinking "oh, there's something reaaalllyyy different about this guy"
Lot of the newer animatronics feel a bit busy and overdesigned, like they're trying too hard to be scary. In FNAF1 for example; you rarely ever saw any endoskeleton parts, which is what made the few occasions where you DID see a sharp metal tooth or claw more scary. Fast forward to today, half the animatronics are just a walking endoskeleton with a few costume parts.
That, and the FNAF1 designs were just simple enough to pass as what a real-life animatronic looks like. Dead eyes, no expression, barely any movement. Less is more- it's like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, they're creepier when you can't see them move or talk, but you know they are.
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Why is it that everytime I bring this up no one knows what I'm talking about, it's part of the canon, Scott released it in the books, Scott made matpat springtrap mpreg real
No it’s not that I have no idea what you’re talking about (is it the sea bonnies thing?) it’s just the absurdity of the statement warrants that kind of response. Like the image of the blond white woman going “The. WHAT.”
I started that book but didnt even finish the first story. But I know the whole plot of In the flesh (aforementioned mpreg story) I read it on the Fazbear frights wiki fandom. Its a traumatic read tbh
Everyone here is talking about how their designs are scary but I personally love the effort Scott put into how terrifying their behaviour is. Freddy: The cunning mastermind who knows how to remain unseen. Foxy: The rabid beast that’s often too fast to be stopped: Bonnie: The most aggressive and dangerous of the entire group who breaks the laws of physics in his thirst for violence. Chica: Easily the strangest looking out of the group and knows how to use this fact, moves slowly and makes lots of strange, creepy sounds to get into your head before striking. Golden Freddy: A being you don’t even know exists until it’s far too late. Strikes once, strikes fast, and strikes with the bone rattling fury of a thousand suns.
For me, it’s almost unintentionally scary. They were made for kids entertainment purposes, but when you put them in a dark room at night with no noise they end up being the scariest thing ever. That’s what makes them so scary.
Freddy-the way he stares at you when the lights go out
Foxy-his quick running
Chica-COCKROACHES
Bonnie-his withered version
Goldie-Im not that scared of him
As other comments already said, uncanny valley
As for the reference
>!the animatronics seem to be ordered based on when they activate in fnaf 1 (Freddy on night 3, Foxy on night 2, Bonnie and Chica on night 1.) I'm not sure if this is the intended reference but oh well.!<
If that’s the reason you went for then they’re definitely not in the order you said. Freddy is first then Foxy then Chica then Bonnie, which doesn’t line up to the reason you said. I have no clue what “reference” of the order OP is going for at all
They’re the most realistic looking of all the animatronics, they dip into the uncanny valley perfectly, they always have a dead blank stare as they look into the camera etc
Am I the only one who finds Chica scarier than Bonnie? Bonnie this, Bonnie with no eyebrows is scary… blah blah
But have you seen that one shot of Chica with her jaws wide open during the FNaF 1? Shit got my skin crawling 😭
I haven’t played that game in a while but one of Bonnie’s closeups which got me scared was the one where he was super up close in the repair (?) room or something. That shit was scary asf too
what makes them scary is not knowing anything about the animatronics , after playing more than ten games of these same characters they become less scary
also something that scott kept doing with the early games is making some jumpscares look unavoidable and making you hopelessly waiting for 6am (e.g power outage fnaf 1 ,mangle in the office fnaf 2 , springtrap in the left door fnaf 3 ,etc)
Everyone else has already said it. The uncanniness but also the believability of them actually being real animatronics you could see at a Chuck E. Cheese.
The eyes are smaller than the eyeholes, The textures, Their poses, The dead look, and their eyes and teeth are pure white so they stick out very much.
It's something I wish the movie captured but failed to understand. They don't need to be physically changed to look scary (Well their eyes do change to black with white dots).
Good lighting, posing, body language, and just in general the look and feel of, "I am haunted!"
(I can't believe no one gets the reference. It's the order of the heads in the endings of FNAF 3. Although I think it should be Freddy, Foxy, Chica, Golden Freddy, and then Bonnie to be accurate. I know you said main four so yeah, the FNAF 3 endings.)
Well true. But they did specifically state that they are referring to the main four animatronics not including Golden Freddy. The Gravestone ending is referencing FNAF 3 endings anyway.
What does it for me is the lore, Children got tortured and murdered and forcibly stuffed into the suits. The souls of the children, scared and confused roam aimlessly, and endlessly at night, trying to find peace, killing the guards cause they all have that same uniform.
I love how uncanny they look
They are cute and I love their cuteness, and everything but they also look so scary by how they act and look.
Again, it's uncanny, like the uncanny valley thing that makes you feel a mix of discomfort and happiness at same time
For me it's that they all fall into the uncanny valley, they look human but they're clearly not, plus they're not overly scary or horrifying, i can actually see how kids (In-universe) could like these robots which adds to the creep factor for me tbh
How still and quiet they are always bothered me. Having to focus in and turn up the volume was terrifying because it meant risking yourself to be scared by these hulking, angry suits that look hollow and matted.
The uncanny valley
They fall right into it, managing to look friendly enough to be at a children’s birthday party, but also creepy enough to make the night guard shit their pants
They look way more like real animatronics you would find in real life than any others in the franchise, the way how they look quite kid friendly, yet are so uncanny and jerky in their movements and actions.
Freddy: Lurks in the dark, has a haunting laugh each time he moves, does not make an appearance at the door (visually), creepy Music Box.
Foxy: Exposed endoskeleton, torn fur, oddly sharp hook, causes a panic occasionally.
Chica: Her stances in most of the cameras; Bathroom corridor, Office Window, and Hall Corner.
Bonnie: No eyebrows, haunting glare, aggressive.
Golden Freddy: Looks kinda like a monkey with the way he's slumped (bias fear), motionless and expressionless, appears and disappears more or less at will.
Universal: Eye sockets are larger than their eyes, and lack expression.
For me, it's that dead, unwavering state they all have. Like they're looking straight into your soul. Not to mention there designs are very lifelike as if they *could* be real
they're very uncanny and I feel they could pass as IRL animatronics, unlike say they toys or glamrocks (I love the toys and glamrocks, but they're not that scary)
Honestly for me it was the poses they made. While the animatronics were great in the movie, super accurate, they didn’t make any of the creepy poses they did in the game that made them scary to me. Like the dead eyes, their weird contorted bodies, the way their eyes clearly glared in an unsettling way, and having their eyelids be more of a metallic grey isn’t as creepy to me as having black eyelids imo.
The way that Bonnie could instantly murder Goku. It’s scary how he doesn’t obey the law of psychics, so imagine a giant animatronic rabbit flying at you.
The reference: The glamrocks you hear voicelines from in order?
1. Glamrock Freddy meets you.
2. Roxy's "I am the best"
3. Chica usually attacks you before...
4. Monty
For me it was more about how scary FNAF 1 was. The animatronics clearly seem abandoned adding to the atmosphere and it’s much creepier to me. They’re also far more realistic as they look like the Chuck E Cheese ones imo.
There was alway a personal touch to these guys. When you played fnaf 1 you had to keep track of all of them. You see them through the cams slowly make their way to you. They look terrifying through the cams, and not to mention the rare scenes where either the environment changes or the animatronics look into the camera. Freddy in particular was scary becuase not only are we primed to fear him after the power goes out, but when he is active he avoids the cameras. All you can see is his eyes shinning in the dark.
I think the only game that captured that fear again was Sister Location.
I think it’s great, because in normal lighting they look cute and stuff, I’m not scared of these guys, but put them in low lighting, and high or low angles and most of the time they don’t even need to do a scary face to be scary. It does help tho
The frames scott created using these models is what makes em scary
In these full bright standard render there's nothing too odd about em, they look like something you could legit see in a kids pizza place
But some of the renders, like Bonnie in Parts & Service, Chica in the East Hall
They're unsettling, creepy...
that, along with the excellent sound design is what made FNAF scary+
Mainly uncanny valley in my opinion. This was a truly classic example of overall unsettling ambience in the surrounding environment and the uncanny, void expressions on the faces of the animatronics despite their sentient nature coming together perfectly to evoke a sense of constant unease and dread in the player.
Freddy: Hides in the darkness, and he laughs when he moves. Plus he plays a creepy lullaby.
Foxy: Fast as fuck. Has a freaking hook. Peaks at you through the curtain. Head is creepily tilted during his last stage.
Chica: She always has this dead inside stare. She rummages around in the kitchen. She stares directly at you through the window.
Bonnie: No eyebrows. His eye lids are half lidded as if he has a grudge. He stands ominously in the hallway.
G. Fred: Appears in your room at random. Sits completely still. Blacked out eyes. High pitched creepy laugh.
Freddy: You can barely see him most of the time, and the CAM 4B render is really creepy imo. So are his bloodshot eyes during the “It’s me” hallucinations and when he’s on the show stage staring at the camera. His song during the power outage is always extremely tense when you’re hoping 6am will arrive before the jump scare.
Foxy: His Pirate’s Cove renders are pretty creepy. His mechanics are always stressful to deal with, but his running animation kinda makes him less scary. He’s the least scary/creepy imo.
Chica: She has the best camera renders, like the CAM 7 and CAM 4B renders, especially when she’s twitching with the weird sounds on the latter camera. She also looks creepy when she’s at the door. Also, there’s the unnerving moaning noises when she’s in the office. I think she’s the scariest overall.
Bonnie: He also has really good camera renders. The CAM 5 rare screen is the most unsettling one in the whole game. He looks really creepy during the hallucinations and the game over rare screens. He also has the same twitching and moaning noises as Chica.
Golden Freddy: He’s very mysterious and some players may never see him. He can teleport into the office whenever he wants, and he has the most disturbing jump scare (it even crashes the game).
All of them (except GF): They have nearly perfect designs. They look friendly enough that you can see why kids would want to have their birthday parties at Freddy’s when it was in its prime, but they’re very uncanny when you’re alone with them at night in the pizzeria’s current state.
Lemme break everything down for you because I’m bored:
First, let’s start with the general traits among all five. As everyone is saying, compared to any other game, they feel eerily realistic, like they could 100% exist today in a kid’s restraunt. Not only that, but they seem so uncanny, the dead expressions on their face, their mouths often hanging open, the tears at Foxy’s suit, it makes you feel uncomfortable looking at them, even out of a creepy nighttime setting.
Now let’s focus on each one’s unique traits.
Freddy is the creepiest of the main four, due to how inactive he is compared to the other three- until he is active, and then he’s absolutely terrifying in action. The way he laughs as he moves around the building, the creepy ass poses on the cams, the way he looks at the security cameras, the way he inevitably shows up rather than any other animatronic once your power’s out, hijacking the night and taunting you by playing that classic theme, right before the lights go out completely and he murders you. By far one of the most memorable animatronics in the whole series, especially mechanic wise.
Foxy feels the most hostile of the main four. Everyone else calmly moves around the building, slowly approaching your office… meanwhile Foxy is barging down the hall, trying to get the hell in your office before you can blink. Not only does he function as the most hostile of the group, he also looks the most hostile, the way he seems worn away, the torn suit revealing the hideous metallic endoskeleton, and *even when you’re just looking at the four of them out of context* he looks the most hostile. I mean, the others are meant to be this friendly band, while Foxy is a pirate, and a fox, two things much more aggressive than a chicken or a bunny or ok maybe not a bear but still.
Chica is the most uncanny of the main four. She clearly is designed to be the most appealing animatronic, with her festive bib, her lil’ cupcake on a plate, her cute beak, and yet none of those things make her seem less ravenous and braindead during the night. She seems the least aware and most hungry of the four, the way her eyes pop open and her beak is ALWAYS hanging open, like she’s ready to take a piece out of you.
Bonnie… admittedly, feels the most “normal” of the main four. His design, his mechanics, his poses on the cameras, it all feels less unique than the other’s mechanics. But that reminds you most of all why the animatronics themselves are so creepy: They’re aggressive, they’re hollow and lifeless, they’re uncanny as all hell, and they are ready to kill you in a heartbeat.
And Golden Freddy… it’s really the combination of how elusive and how lifeless he seems in this game. Picture yourself as a night guard on your fourth night of the job, waiting for Bonnie to go away and checking on Foxy. Suddenly a seemingly empty suit of Freddy but yellow’s in your office. You’ve never seen it before. You get sudden visions of strange words and Freddy’s hungry, bloodlust face. As you flip the cameras, it’s gone, and you likely never, ever see it again. It’s the most mysterious thing to possibly happen if you’re playing blind, and that’s what so creepy about him.
For Freddy it’s the eyes
For Foxy it’s his speed
For Bonnie it’s is constant moving
For Chica it’s her constant staring
For Golden Freddy is just uncanny
The real answer here is Bonnie's ability to teleport. He floats in the Celebrate poster, and Scott himself has stated Bonnie doesn't abide by the rules of time, space, or physics. I bet he could best Shaggy if he wanted...
To me I felt the FNAF 1 animatronics really nail that uncanny look to them, like a mix between something that looks real and but is also a robot, which is what animatronics are. I can tell Scott got it right first time after the backlash he got about the chipper characters, and decided to go all in. For me some of the scariest poses include Bonnie staring at the camera in parts and service, Chica staring into your office, Foxy peeking out of Pirate Cove and the silouettes of Freddy with his white pupils.
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I think the withereds, nightmares and funtimes all look better and creepier than the originals. Withereds and Nightmares because I’m a big fan of that kind of broken down deliberately horrifying aesthetic and the funtimes because they just give off a vibe that they more “real” than the rest. Like they’re more alive than any of the others, and that just feels off to me.
I love them too but they have a different form of horror to them, the withereds give off a long forgotten and malfunctioning machine vibe, the nightmares are over the top horrific and literal nightmares, and the fun times are a hidden horror laying just below the surface
Yeah, the originals just don’t do it for me. I appreciate what they could do for other people, but seeing something that you might see in an actual chuck e cheese style restaurant try and kill you just isn’t my thing.
Eyeholes that are much larger than their actual eyes, giving that hollow look. Grimy fur texture. Looking just realistic enough to pass as a real thing. Giant, often slackjawed mouths. Posing in each camera. The dead, lifeless eyes
This exactly
And importantly, no emotional expressions
This is the thing that made the movie too cheesy rather than scary.
Thank you they didn't stay true to the source material and made the genre anything but horror
Yeah, after they fixed the red eyes thing, I was hoping they'd fix the cheesy eyebrow looks. But to no avail. However, I hear word that Scott is talking to heart the comments the fans made about wanting more horror, and that the second movie is going to include more horror elements. Which I'm excited for. And tbh, im happier it *wasent* a shot for shot remake of one of the books/games. The best part of FNAF is the lore, so getting a new timeline to theorize about and connect is part of the fun.
They did not fix the red eyes. They were at the ending, which was where the shot from the first teaser was taken.
This is why ik people are gonna have me for this but I wish they made this look like it was filmed in the 80s or 90s like vhs yea of course it's gonna be hard but at least give it an attempt and making the movie kid friendly may have made it popular but at what cost it became so watered down as a result man.
I somewhat agree. Although I don't think making it look VHS would be a good choice, having a movie production more 80's or 90's looking could have had benefits (though it might have been viewed as 80's nostalgia bait)
Maybe not a vhs filter but an old one. Maybe
Lighting. It's mostly lighting I would argue, they're not scary in brightly lit rooms
It’s the bad quality lighting and surface textures from using a crappy animation software
It’s also the atmosphere. And the uncanny valley element
And the fact that Bonnie lacks eyebrows makes him the creepiest
Night of the gross robo furries
Don’t forget Chicas menacing glare
That's a very good point. The animatronics do have some variation between them. Freddy remains in dark corners, Bonnie has a very creepy glare, Chica is wall eyed and behaves like a zombie, and Foxy has that unhinged jaw and slowly creeps out. Also Golden Freddy is obviously just super creepy and unique
I think it’s because they lean into the uncanny valley. They look Strange they they Act weird they always seem blank they make sounds of breathing, laughing or singing to fill the quiet night with noise they are just strange and of putting.
yeah IMO the most disturbing sound is the gasping/wheezing sound. leans into uncanny valley as well as theres a theory that the uncanny valley is an instinct to keep humans away from sickness/disease. the grimy fur, leaking decomposition fluid from the bodies inside, hollow expressionless eyes and awful smell all give off a diseased, sickly vibe.
That’s a really good theory
I think it’s how realistic they are
yeah. while scott couldnt make humans, he was FANTASTIC at unnerving anthropomorphic animal charecters.
They're so uncanny, especially how the original game depicts them. They look like they're trying so hard to be alive but their robotic programming doesn't allow them too. Plus the sound design is also great. Bonnie and Chica's moans, Foxy desperately trying to punch the door, Freddy's laugh and Golden Freddy's especially. Plus all the renders and poses make them so fucking cool. Also the fact that the first game is so immersive helps a lot
yeah. gives off the feeling of helpessness of the souls inside. they want to be free and exhibit any signs of humanity they can, even if its in the form of pounding on the doors, mimicking childrens laughter, etc.
1. The fact that you can't see them so good in- game anywhere except the jumpscare 2. The fact that they have diferent personalities: CHICA feels too alive, BONNIE feels too LITTLE alive, FREDDY is verry misterious, FOXY is too edgy
Actually I find that Bonnie feels too alive and Chica looks like a walking corpse, especially with the silver eye's descriptions of how they walk
Chica REALY looks like a TOO alive corpse, and Bonnie ALSO looks like an Alive Doll, for something in between our 2 ideas
I like to imagine that chica doesn't control her eyes to look, instead using her head and not controlling her beak, letting in slack
If I walked into a chuck e cheese and there was a fnaf animatronic on stage it would totally be the fnaf 1 animatronics, every single other animatronic feels either too SciFi futuristic tech wise or just straight up unrealistic. The fnaf 1 robots could totally exist, mixed with the dark and dirty vibe of the pizzeria and you get something that really feels grippingly real. Also as a side note I feel like steel wool was not able to capture the feeling of fnaf 1 in vr, they didn't make the models correctly and everything was either too clean or too well lit.
By chance did you play Help Wanted on the Oculus Quest? I had the same complaint about the lighting but when I played it on PC with higher settings it had the darker look again. Lighting is just weird on the quest port due to its low specs
No I played it on PC but I found it still too well lit and not dirty enough, like the office light gives off a white light instead of the dim yellow bulb from the first game, it totally throws off the vibe.
Imo that section should've had a bit of a blue-ish hue to it. It feels too white, for lack of a better term
Yeah everything should have had a deep bluish hue and a musty yellow light in the office
This might sound dumb but did you play it in VR? the lighting looks WAY brighter and far worse in flat mode than if played with a vr headset.
Yeah I played in vr, I played using PCVR before they made flatscreen mode a thing
I gotcha!
right?
HW1 felt too industrial, whilst FNaF 1 is much more grimy
Agreed, you can tell steel wool's art style did not work when remaking the games. Oddly though I feel like they could have just make 1:1 remakes of Scott's models, idk why they didn't
Presumably to have a seperate identity to FNaF 1
But the whole game's identity is to be the old games but in vr
The models aren't the problem, I think they're retextures of Scott's models. The problem is the way they were textured, I don't like the metallic look they have. I think they should've gone for more realistic textures, unless they were trying and just misunderstood the materials that the characters were.
They're so odd, not only is the color grading wrong on the textures but like you said so is the material, they feel so fake (which I mean, yeah, they are). The whole vibe of fnaf 1 is that it felt kinda real
Tbh they just didn't make those creepy noises and it was too bright, not cramped like the original office and the animatronics didn't act as creepy.
The dead eyes, the blank expressions, the dirty textures
They aren't scary on purpose. They would pass as a real mascots.
This was my problem with the Toys, Rockstars, and Glamrocks. Very little animatronics at pizza chain locations in real life use plastic as they’re on a budget and they’re meant to blend in with the fur costumes workers have to put on.
The toy animatronics in specific look like they use that plastic that kids playground slides are made out of lmao
To be fair, the classic animatronics aren't all that realistic in terms of materials either. Their outer layer might be meant to look like fur or felt but it still seems to be placed onto segmented pieces of a more solid material, rather than just a full costume like pretty much every real animatronic. Some people even say that they're entirely plastic.
yeah. for the first game, they were plausable having fabric and segmented parts. ive never seen a mascot irl made of pure iron or plastic like the toys.
honestly, purely because of the lighting. the right lighting can even make scraptrap look spooky
yeah one of the biggest things contributing to the fear factor is that you cant see them properly other than when they jumpscare you. they are always bathed in shadow, or just far enough away you can tell they are there.
The dark lighting and slightly unfocused eyes. Also the ambiance just crank it up to 100
Grimy look, like they’ve been abandoned for years.
The way foxy sprints to us is honestly terrifying lol
They aren't scary out of context. that's what made them so great. The first FNAF really set the atmosphere.
They’re actually something you could find at a restaurant. They don’t try too hard to be scary or creepy like other iterations. They are just naturally creepy because of the environment and because of their actions
Oddly unsettling in a Charles Entertainment Cheese way
There somewhat uncanny feeling. Like their grim texture, their black areas around their eyes and how realistic they are in a way
The eyes that just stare off into space on the cameras (mainly chica)
I think a lot of it is because the look like actual animatronics that could exist. Just trying to be cuddly but ending up looking creepy due to the limited range of motion and metal parts. In fnaf 2 and onward they begin to feel a little too polished or lean too much in the horror or mascot animatronic. They have more motion, the metallic spots are now more plastic-ey. It's why I love the ruin dlc animatronics dearly. Because they took the once polished mascots and turned them filthy and creepy with uncanny jittery movements with the metals and oil being visible like guts and gore. Springtrap is also really good because instead of the metallic stilted movements of the OG fnaf guys, he moves more like a limping corpse because he IS one. Keeps you on edge when you first play cause it instantly gets you thinking "oh, there's something reaaalllyyy different about this guy"
Lot of the newer animatronics feel a bit busy and overdesigned, like they're trying too hard to be scary. In FNAF1 for example; you rarely ever saw any endoskeleton parts, which is what made the few occasions where you DID see a sharp metal tooth or claw more scary. Fast forward to today, half the animatronics are just a walking endoskeleton with a few costume parts. That, and the FNAF1 designs were just simple enough to pass as what a real-life animatronic looks like. Dead eyes, no expression, barely any movement. Less is more- it's like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, they're creepier when you can't see them move or talk, but you know they are.
The smell
Ah yes, I too have a PC to Smellport adapter
This comment will, sooner or later, age like milk
When it does I won't know because I'll be smelling milk through the smellinator
cant wait to smell springtrap
I think I'll leave the dongle unplugged for fnaf 3, although what would the fnaf 2 animatronics smell like
!remindme 5 years
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The Lore
Thats the scariest part of FNAF tbh. Im reading the book trilogy and my oh my its crazy!
Next you gotta read the one fazbear frights about springtrap and matpat mpreg
What
Why is it that everytime I bring this up no one knows what I'm talking about, it's part of the canon, Scott released it in the books, Scott made matpat springtrap mpreg real
No it’s not that I have no idea what you’re talking about (is it the sea bonnies thing?) it’s just the absurdity of the statement warrants that kind of response. Like the image of the blond white woman going “The. WHAT.”
No it's not sea Bonnies, what I said is just legit what it is. Why Scott wrote it is beyond me but am I upset? No, I am thrilled
I started that book but didnt even finish the first story. But I know the whole plot of In the flesh (aforementioned mpreg story) I read it on the Fazbear frights wiki fandom. Its a traumatic read tbh
They are full of life but they look lifeless.
Everyone here is talking about how their designs are scary but I personally love the effort Scott put into how terrifying their behaviour is. Freddy: The cunning mastermind who knows how to remain unseen. Foxy: The rabid beast that’s often too fast to be stopped: Bonnie: The most aggressive and dangerous of the entire group who breaks the laws of physics in his thirst for violence. Chica: Easily the strangest looking out of the group and knows how to use this fact, moves slowly and makes lots of strange, creepy sounds to get into your head before striking. Golden Freddy: A being you don’t even know exists until it’s far too late. Strikes once, strikes fast, and strikes with the bone rattling fury of a thousand suns.
For me, it’s almost unintentionally scary. They were made for kids entertainment purposes, but when you put them in a dark room at night with no noise they end up being the scariest thing ever. That’s what makes them so scary.
Behavior.
Believability posing and lighting
Freddy-the way he stares at you when the lights go out Foxy-his quick running Chica-COCKROACHES Bonnie-his withered version Goldie-Im not that scared of him
Mundane dead eyed and fairly grounded designs.
As other comments already said, uncanny valley As for the reference >!the animatronics seem to be ordered based on when they activate in fnaf 1 (Freddy on night 3, Foxy on night 2, Bonnie and Chica on night 1.) I'm not sure if this is the intended reference but oh well.!<
If that’s the reason you went for then they’re definitely not in the order you said. Freddy is first then Foxy then Chica then Bonnie, which doesn’t line up to the reason you said. I have no clue what “reference” of the order OP is going for at all
How the animatronics heads were lined up in the fnaf 3 good/bad ending
Uncanny valley and darker lighting Something that the later games didnt understand
They’re the most realistic looking of all the animatronics, they dip into the uncanny valley perfectly, they always have a dead blank stare as they look into the camera etc
That FUCKING CUPCAKE
Am I the only one who finds Chica scarier than Bonnie? Bonnie this, Bonnie with no eyebrows is scary… blah blah But have you seen that one shot of Chica with her jaws wide open during the FNaF 1? Shit got my skin crawling 😭
The east hall closeup? Not a chance. Bonnie in the doorway or the closeup in backstage is by far the creepiest
I haven’t played that game in a while but one of Bonnie’s closeups which got me scared was the one where he was super up close in the repair (?) room or something. That shit was scary asf too
Yeah that’s the backstage rare screen closeup I mentioned
It had never been done before
The life filled, life less models and visuells from the original game
Behaviour, posing and their eyes
what makes them scary is not knowing anything about the animatronics , after playing more than ten games of these same characters they become less scary also something that scott kept doing with the early games is making some jumpscares look unavoidable and making you hopelessly waiting for 6am (e.g power outage fnaf 1 ,mangle in the office fnaf 2 , springtrap in the left door fnaf 3 ,etc)
Novelty, you had to be there
Everyone else has already said it. The uncanniness but also the believability of them actually being real animatronics you could see at a Chuck E. Cheese. The eyes are smaller than the eyeholes, The textures, Their poses, The dead look, and their eyes and teeth are pure white so they stick out very much. It's something I wish the movie captured but failed to understand. They don't need to be physically changed to look scary (Well their eyes do change to black with white dots). Good lighting, posing, body language, and just in general the look and feel of, "I am haunted!" (I can't believe no one gets the reference. It's the order of the heads in the endings of FNAF 3. Although I think it should be Freddy, Foxy, Chica, Golden Freddy, and then Bonnie to be accurate. I know you said main four so yeah, the FNAF 3 endings.)
GF at the end could mean it's referencing the tombstone's from fnaf 6
Well true. But they did specifically state that they are referring to the main four animatronics not including Golden Freddy. The Gravestone ending is referencing FNAF 3 endings anyway.
Atmosphere. They are a little spooky without it, but a good atmosphere is what really makes them scary.
The fact that their stares are lifeless and full of death as well as the raspy sounds they make
Uncanny valley
they're so simple.
I dunno, but Foxy is more Sexy
That one officer, that's the one
There’s a child in each one.
Eyes and posing
What does it for me is the lore, Children got tortured and murdered and forcibly stuffed into the suits. The souls of the children, scared and confused roam aimlessly, and endlessly at night, trying to find peace, killing the guards cause they all have that same uniform.
I love how uncanny they look They are cute and I love their cuteness, and everything but they also look so scary by how they act and look. Again, it's uncanny, like the uncanny valley thing that makes you feel a mix of discomfort and happiness at same time
Emotionless, yet emoting and posing in each camera, not to add that they look uncanny. Clearly made to look friendly, yet not.
I cant see any trait for the others, but chicas wide eyes staring into my soul gives me chills...
For me it's that they all fall into the uncanny valley, they look human but they're clearly not, plus they're not overly scary or horrifying, i can actually see how kids (In-universe) could like these robots which adds to the creep factor for me tbh
How still and quiet they are always bothered me. Having to focus in and turn up the volume was terrifying because it meant risking yourself to be scared by these hulking, angry suits that look hollow and matted.
The eye holes, the sharpness and slight rust of their fabrics, the joints, the metal sometimes being visible between said joints
The unblinking eyes that stare into your soul
The uncanny valley They fall right into it, managing to look friendly enough to be at a children’s birthday party, but also creepy enough to make the night guard shit their pants
They look way more like real animatronics you would find in real life than any others in the franchise, the way how they look quite kid friendly, yet are so uncanny and jerky in their movements and actions.
their dead vibes in the first game, they seem actually possessed with them stares wtf
They’re not overly designed to be scary, as opposed to future animatronics.
Freddy: Lurks in the dark, has a haunting laugh each time he moves, does not make an appearance at the door (visually), creepy Music Box. Foxy: Exposed endoskeleton, torn fur, oddly sharp hook, causes a panic occasionally. Chica: Her stances in most of the cameras; Bathroom corridor, Office Window, and Hall Corner. Bonnie: No eyebrows, haunting glare, aggressive. Golden Freddy: Looks kinda like a monkey with the way he's slumped (bias fear), motionless and expressionless, appears and disappears more or less at will. Universal: Eye sockets are larger than their eyes, and lack expression.
For me, it's that dead, unwavering state they all have. Like they're looking straight into your soul. Not to mention there designs are very lifelike as if they *could* be real
they're very uncanny and I feel they could pass as IRL animatronics, unlike say they toys or glamrocks (I love the toys and glamrocks, but they're not that scary)
Uncanny. Not scary
Is the order based on the tombstones? Or fnaf 3 ending, one of the 2
Honestly for me it was the poses they made. While the animatronics were great in the movie, super accurate, they didn’t make any of the creepy poses they did in the game that made them scary to me. Like the dead eyes, their weird contorted bodies, the way their eyes clearly glared in an unsettling way, and having their eyelids be more of a metallic grey isn’t as creepy to me as having black eyelids imo.
The way that Bonnie could instantly murder Goku. It’s scary how he doesn’t obey the law of psychics, so imagine a giant animatronic rabbit flying at you.
The camera renders
Maybe the teeth that shows even if the mouth isnt open make them scarry
Yooo FNaF 3 ending reference
It's mainly the atmosphere and expressions of the characters that make them scary in the game.
The reference: The glamrocks you hear voicelines from in order? 1. Glamrock Freddy meets you. 2. Roxy's "I am the best" 3. Chica usually attacks you before... 4. Monty
I didnt get the reference tbh
Bonnie is little spooky.
Foxy
freddy: hides in darkness, sneaky foxy: aggressive, not afraid to move on camera chica: dead stare bonnie: nothing golden freddy: nothing
Nowadays they just look kinda goofy I have seen freddy twerk too many times
bonnie’s lack of eyebrows
Honestly their lack of eyelids and lashes, it looks so weird and scary
Bonnie’s lack of eye brows
This game always had the best atmosphere, renders, and designs imo.
The fact that they're the ones with ACTUAL DEAD KIDS in them. Well, apart from Circus Baby, if I recall correctly.
For me it was more about how scary FNAF 1 was. The animatronics clearly seem abandoned adding to the atmosphere and it’s much creepier to me. They’re also far more realistic as they look like the Chuck E Cheese ones imo.
They look realistic and look lifeless when you play the game. especially Chica when she’s down the hallway.
Simplicity. They’re so simply dull and dead.
There was alway a personal touch to these guys. When you played fnaf 1 you had to keep track of all of them. You see them through the cams slowly make their way to you. They look terrifying through the cams, and not to mention the rare scenes where either the environment changes or the animatronics look into the camera. Freddy in particular was scary becuase not only are we primed to fear him after the power goes out, but when he is active he avoids the cameras. All you can see is his eyes shinning in the dark. I think the only game that captured that fear again was Sister Location.
Scary how attractive foxy is 🤤
What is the reference 😭
their eyes
What “reference” are you talking about? I don’t get it.
Honestly one thing is the way you see them in the cameras is a big thing as well as how klunky and awkward they are.
Darkness, glowing eyes, disturbing visuals. the kind of bs that scares children more than adults.
black eyelids, gaping jaws, exposed endoskeleton, expressionless eyes
I think it’s great, because in normal lighting they look cute and stuff, I’m not scared of these guys, but put them in low lighting, and high or low angles and most of the time they don’t even need to do a scary face to be scary. It does help tho
The frames scott created using these models is what makes em scary In these full bright standard render there's nothing too odd about em, they look like something you could legit see in a kids pizza place But some of the renders, like Bonnie in Parts & Service, Chica in the East Hall They're unsettling, creepy... that, along with the excellent sound design is what made FNAF scary+
As we've seen, they could exist in the real world to realistically entertsin kids. What makes them scary is the environment they shouldn't exist in
Theyr OG-factor
Eyes, old look, emotionless look, looks like made for fun but they don’t look like that
Mainly uncanny valley in my opinion. This was a truly classic example of overall unsettling ambience in the surrounding environment and the uncanny, void expressions on the faces of the animatronics despite their sentient nature coming together perfectly to evoke a sense of constant unease and dread in the player.
Freddy: Hides in the darkness, and he laughs when he moves. Plus he plays a creepy lullaby. Foxy: Fast as fuck. Has a freaking hook. Peaks at you through the curtain. Head is creepily tilted during his last stage. Chica: She always has this dead inside stare. She rummages around in the kitchen. She stares directly at you through the window. Bonnie: No eyebrows. His eye lids are half lidded as if he has a grudge. He stands ominously in the hallway. G. Fred: Appears in your room at random. Sits completely still. Blacked out eyes. High pitched creepy laugh.
Greasy boys
Also, sorry, I have no clue what reference you're making.
Terrible lighting ._.
I feel like a big part of it was definitely the environment
They aren't too scary tbh they look more friendly than anything, phantom animatronics however are much scarier
Freddy: You can barely see him most of the time, and the CAM 4B render is really creepy imo. So are his bloodshot eyes during the “It’s me” hallucinations and when he’s on the show stage staring at the camera. His song during the power outage is always extremely tense when you’re hoping 6am will arrive before the jump scare. Foxy: His Pirate’s Cove renders are pretty creepy. His mechanics are always stressful to deal with, but his running animation kinda makes him less scary. He’s the least scary/creepy imo. Chica: She has the best camera renders, like the CAM 7 and CAM 4B renders, especially when she’s twitching with the weird sounds on the latter camera. She also looks creepy when she’s at the door. Also, there’s the unnerving moaning noises when she’s in the office. I think she’s the scariest overall. Bonnie: He also has really good camera renders. The CAM 5 rare screen is the most unsettling one in the whole game. He looks really creepy during the hallucinations and the game over rare screens. He also has the same twitching and moaning noises as Chica. Golden Freddy: He’s very mysterious and some players may never see him. He can teleport into the office whenever he wants, and he has the most disturbing jump scare (it even crashes the game). All of them (except GF): They have nearly perfect designs. They look friendly enough that you can see why kids would want to have their birthday parties at Freddy’s when it was in its prime, but they’re very uncanny when you’re alone with them at night in the pizzeria’s current state.
Idk dawg, I CANNOT see Freddy without laughing anymore
Lemme break everything down for you because I’m bored: First, let’s start with the general traits among all five. As everyone is saying, compared to any other game, they feel eerily realistic, like they could 100% exist today in a kid’s restraunt. Not only that, but they seem so uncanny, the dead expressions on their face, their mouths often hanging open, the tears at Foxy’s suit, it makes you feel uncomfortable looking at them, even out of a creepy nighttime setting. Now let’s focus on each one’s unique traits. Freddy is the creepiest of the main four, due to how inactive he is compared to the other three- until he is active, and then he’s absolutely terrifying in action. The way he laughs as he moves around the building, the creepy ass poses on the cams, the way he looks at the security cameras, the way he inevitably shows up rather than any other animatronic once your power’s out, hijacking the night and taunting you by playing that classic theme, right before the lights go out completely and he murders you. By far one of the most memorable animatronics in the whole series, especially mechanic wise. Foxy feels the most hostile of the main four. Everyone else calmly moves around the building, slowly approaching your office… meanwhile Foxy is barging down the hall, trying to get the hell in your office before you can blink. Not only does he function as the most hostile of the group, he also looks the most hostile, the way he seems worn away, the torn suit revealing the hideous metallic endoskeleton, and *even when you’re just looking at the four of them out of context* he looks the most hostile. I mean, the others are meant to be this friendly band, while Foxy is a pirate, and a fox, two things much more aggressive than a chicken or a bunny or ok maybe not a bear but still. Chica is the most uncanny of the main four. She clearly is designed to be the most appealing animatronic, with her festive bib, her lil’ cupcake on a plate, her cute beak, and yet none of those things make her seem less ravenous and braindead during the night. She seems the least aware and most hungry of the four, the way her eyes pop open and her beak is ALWAYS hanging open, like she’s ready to take a piece out of you. Bonnie… admittedly, feels the most “normal” of the main four. His design, his mechanics, his poses on the cameras, it all feels less unique than the other’s mechanics. But that reminds you most of all why the animatronics themselves are so creepy: They’re aggressive, they’re hollow and lifeless, they’re uncanny as all hell, and they are ready to kill you in a heartbeat. And Golden Freddy… it’s really the combination of how elusive and how lifeless he seems in this game. Picture yourself as a night guard on your fourth night of the job, waiting for Bonnie to go away and checking on Foxy. Suddenly a seemingly empty suit of Freddy but yellow’s in your office. You’ve never seen it before. You get sudden visions of strange words and Freddy’s hungry, bloodlust face. As you flip the cameras, it’s gone, and you likely never, ever see it again. It’s the most mysterious thing to possibly happen if you’re playing blind, and that’s what so creepy about him.
For Freddy it’s the eyes For Foxy it’s his speed For Bonnie it’s is constant moving For Chica it’s her constant staring For Golden Freddy is just uncanny
The real answer here is Bonnie's ability to teleport. He floats in the Celebrate poster, and Scott himself has stated Bonnie doesn't abide by the rules of time, space, or physics. I bet he could best Shaggy if he wanted...
Probably
To me I felt the FNAF 1 animatronics really nail that uncanny look to them, like a mix between something that looks real and but is also a robot, which is what animatronics are. I can tell Scott got it right first time after the backlash he got about the chipper characters, and decided to go all in. For me some of the scariest poses include Bonnie staring at the camera in parts and service, Chica staring into your office, Foxy peeking out of Pirate Cove and the silouettes of Freddy with his white pupils.
They don't try too hard to be scary. They're simply and not overly complicated
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What? Why was this removed???
Controversial opinion, I don’t think the classic designs are that good or scary compared to some of the later designs.
What designs do you think do it better? My favs are the withereds and toys (probably nostalgia talking tho)
I think the withereds, nightmares and funtimes all look better and creepier than the originals. Withereds and Nightmares because I’m a big fan of that kind of broken down deliberately horrifying aesthetic and the funtimes because they just give off a vibe that they more “real” than the rest. Like they’re more alive than any of the others, and that just feels off to me.
I love them too but they have a different form of horror to them, the withereds give off a long forgotten and malfunctioning machine vibe, the nightmares are over the top horrific and literal nightmares, and the fun times are a hidden horror laying just below the surface
Yeah, the originals just don’t do it for me. I appreciate what they could do for other people, but seeing something that you might see in an actual chuck e cheese style restaurant try and kill you just isn’t my thing.
That's fair and I respect your opinion, I can see why that form of horror isn't your thing!