Five Nights at Freddy’s movie trailer explains way too much

Five Nights at Freddy’s is a foundational horror game franchise that became a viral hit thanks to its naturally creepy vibe, straightforward gameplay (the series was readily available on smartphones), and smart, effective use of jump scares. The franchise typically casts players as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-style pizzeria/arcade with animatronic animals that are, unfortunately, haunted and want to kill you.

The series gained longevity thanks to its elaborate backstory that while, on paper is pretty standard stuff — the animatronics are possessed because of a dark secret — is revealed obliquely in the games via messages you find, or haunting 8-bit minigames that recreate awful events with an innocent aesthetic.

This made Five Nights at Freddy’s feel both like a horror game and a creepypasta artifact, and made players feel like they were both observing and participating in a scary story. Unfortunately, none of this works nearly as well when it’s all explained to you, and the trailer for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie lays all that exposition on thick.

Unlike the first teaser, the full Five Nights at Freddy’s trailer explains so much that it’s not exactly clear how scary the movie is supposed to be, or what kind of horror movie viewers can expect — a goofy, over-the-top one, or something filled with genuine frights. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to skip this trailer unless you’re a morbidly curious superfan.

There’s still good reason to be hopeful for the movie: a haunted Chuck E. Cheese is a great idea for a horror movie, so much so that the low-budget Nicolas Cage film Willy’s Wonderland beat Five Nights at Freddy’s to the punch. It also had a much better trailer.

Five Nights at Freddy’s will premiere in theaters on Oct. 27.