The ending of ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ explained

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.

A spine-tingling tale about animatronic bears that come to life and wreak havoc might not seem like it would be atop the cinematic mountain, but Five Nights at Freddy’s quickly cemented itself as one of the most anticipated horror flicks of the 2023 spooky season.

With the chaotic live-action adaptation making its debut in theaters and on Peacock simultaneously, the much-discussed collaboration between Blumhouse and Universal Pictures is making the rounds all across the internet. Based on the iconic video game horror series that took the world by storm nearly a decade ago, the film adaptation flashes the game’s unforgettable narrative and expands upon its bone-chilling lore. In doing so, faithful fans of the franchise and newly-welcomed gamers have prepared for an experience that’s especially fitting for Halloween time, even if early reviews haven’t been encouraging.

As moviegoers flock to megaplexes in droves while homebodies sit comfortably on their couches for the Peacock viewing, a variety of questions are oozing from the cracks in regards to the spooks and scares that occur in FNAF. Naturally, one prominent inquiry is how exactly the supernatural spectacle ends.

What is FNAF about?

When audiences first meet protagonist Mike (Josh Hutcherson), he’s an aloof guardian to his younger sister Abby who can barely keep a job and constantly feels enraged over the kidnapping of his younger brother Garrett back in the ‘80s — which Mike watched with his own eyes. Ever since the kidnapping, Mike has been hell=bent on uncovering who took his younger brother all those years ago.

After meeting with career counselor Steve Raglan and feeling desperate for a new job, Mike accepts a job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza working as security during the overnight shift. But while working there, Mike begins to experience unexplainable happenings — which include the movement of four animatronic bears located inside the family entertainment center. Eventually, these bears begin to grow close with Abby after Mike is forced to bring her with him to work once her babysitter Max stops answering Mike’s phone calls. Spoiler: Freddy and the gang killed her after she and her clan broke into Freddy’s place and wrecked it.

During his shifts, Mike also meets Vanessa — a local police officer who frequents Freddy’s Pizza during her own shifts on duty. However, it soon becomes clear that Vanessa knows more about the establishment and its backstory than she’s letting on.

The ending of FNAF, explained

Desperate to understand why his brother was kidnapped and why the animatronics at Freddy’s Pizza are seemingly alive, Mike taps into his dreams and is often visited by several ghostly children. Through discovery and with Vanessa’s eventual reveal, Mike learns that the animatronics at Freddy’s place (Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy, and Bonnie) are all possessed by the children of the men that serial kidnapper and murderer William Afton killed back in the ‘80s. So whenever an adult enters Freddy’s Pizza, the animatronics seek out to get their form of “revenge” for what Afton did to them.

On that same note, Mike learns that Vanessa is actually the daughter of Afton and warns him that Afton is now after Abby. In the process of trying to rescue Abby from the animatronics, who are looking to make her one of them, Mike is attacked by the Springtrap animatronic which is controlled by William Afton, who actually turns out to be the career counselor Steve that told Mike about the security job in the first place.

Vanessa also reveals that her father is able to control the animatronics due to their bodies being kept inside of the suits and ignited by electricity which Afton uses to his own personal advantage. However, Mike eventually highlights a drawing of the misery and death inflicted on the missing children by Afton, which causes Freddy and the rest of the animatronics to turn on Afton as his body is electrocuted and dragged away.

In the film’s closing minutes, it is revealed that Vanessa is in a coma after being stabbed by her own father during a brawl between the two. Additionally, Afton proclaimed that he “always comes back” before being dragged away by the animatronics — which could mean that a sequel is very likely and certainly on the table.