STACK #232 February 2024

MOVIE FEATURE

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Taking to X (Twitter) last November, Jason Blum declared Five Nights at Freddy’s to be the highest grossing Blumhouse film of all time, knocking M. Night Shyamalan’s Split off the mantle. Here’s the top ten list of Blumhouse earners.

Five Nights at Freddy’s $294.9 M Split $278.5 M Halloween $259.9 M Us $256.1 M Get Out $255 M Glass $247 M Paranormal Activity $294.2 M M3GAN $181 M Nope $172.3 M The Black Phone $161 M

Five Nights at Freddy’s ’ filmic adaptation exceeded all expectations, earning a whopping $294.9 million at the global box offce (from its modest $20 million budget). Words Glenn Cochrane T hat’s enough to make a producer smile, and with a massive slate of movies over a short space of time, Blumhouse head ”I was a fan of The Wind , and I showed it to Scott along with a whole lot of movies,” Blum says, referring to Scott Cawthon, the creator of the Five Nights at Freddy’s game. ”And Scott was the one who singled out Emma based on that movie.

Blumhouse has also produced non-horror movies such as Tooth Fairy (2010), Lawless (2012), Whiplash (2014) and Benji (2018). DYK?

the feeling of FNAF , and the tone was a really specific thing that we knew we needed to nail. It’s a very unique tone, and it’s a blend of a lot of things. It’s fun and it’s terrifying, and it’s creepy, and it’s weird.” The game’s story and origins have changed throughout eight instalments and three spin-offs, and finding the right approach was no easy feat, as Tammi explains. ”Figuring out which parts of the lore we were going to include in

honcho Jason Blum is riding high right now. He's responsible for films like M3GAN , Night Swim , and Get Out (amongst many more) and his latest offering is the live action adaptation of the popular video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s , which features family-friendly animatronic animals coming to life, and – like Blum – making a killing! We recently sat down with the prolific producer and director Emma Tammi to discuss the movie. The project has had various directors attached throughout its development, Blum – who is said to be something of a taskmaster – settled on Tammi, impressed with her 2018 western-infused horror movie The Wind , which received unanimous praise.

”Emma was the first director we spoke to who had a real point of view about Five Nights at Freddy’s , and was also willing to hear and listen to Scott. And I am very grateful to Emma for walking that line and being able to get us here to the finish line, because – as you know – we talked to a lot of people, and no one was able to do it except for Emma.” The biggest challenge in adapting video games into movies is the fanbase itself. Always vocal and fiercely protective, they’re a force to be reckoned with, and countless filmmakers

this movie was a huge component in making it the film we were sure that the fanbase would embrace.” And when bringing the

characters to the big screen, the production team turned to a very familiar and reliable source. ”We worked with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to bring these animatronics to life, which was an incredible

have come off worse for wear after attempting the feat. It’s a truism Tammi is acutely aware of. ”Fanbases are demanding,” she admits. ”We’re very hopeful, and so far the fanbase has been embracing [the project]. We hope this will deliver for them, and they’ll be very excited to see it.” She adds: ”This movie has

partnership,” Tammi says. ”They were so excited to be able to take this amazing intellectual property and bring it to life for a really active fanbase

• Five Nights at Freddy's is out Feb 21

that’s been wanting this movie for so long.”

Emma Tammi

Josh Hutcherson

10 FEBRUARY 2024

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