FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S

Three chilling tales loosely based on a bestselling cross-platform game.

In this graphic-novel adaptation spanning two of Cawthon’s volumes in his Five Nights at Freddy’s Fazbear Frights series, stories “Fetch,” “Room for One More,” and “The New Kid” are reimagined. Both “Fetch” and “The New Kid” feature the recognizably creepy, pointy-fanged animatronics and Chuck E. Cheese–esque atmosphere of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza restaurant. They also feature male teen protagonists wrestling with the ups and downs of adolescence. The second story, “Room,” features a man, seemingly in his early 20s, and has a less obvious connection to Fazbear’s Pizza but offers one of the most spine-tingling moments of this collection in a scene with sentient dolls. Though an easy read with a few genuinely horrifying moments, this volume suffers from its own disjointedness. While it’s illustrated by three artists, the overall aesthetic feels bloodless and reductive in its cohesion. Cawthon’s Five Nights at Freddy’s canon is sprawling and complex; those familiar with it may be accustomed to its broad scope. However, these adaptations have seemingly lost something in each iteration, leaving this collection feeling like a convoluted and garbled game of telephone at best, and a depressing money grab at worst. All three main characters are male and appear White.

Even fervent fans may be disappointed.