Are you ready to find Freddy’s secrets?

The Five Nights at Freddy’s series is infamous for its hidden secrets, fuelling endless theories and rumors. It’s not too surprising that the movie debut for the series is equally chock-full of easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers to spot. Here are the best easter eggs in the FNAF movie, both obvious and deep-cuts.

Opening Credits

The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie starts with a banger of a song and a colorful 8-bit montage. This intro is reminiscent of the plot-heavy mini-games throughout the series. The mini-games first started in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and helped players put together the story of how the animatronics came to be haunted and what exactly happened to the man responsible.

<em>One of the FNAF 2 minigames (image via Markiplier on YouTube)</em>
One of the FNAF 2 minigames (image via Markiplier on YouTube)

Sparky the Dog

This long-running urban legend of the FNAF series is shown in both name and by a disused animatronic in the back of Freddy’s. The original rumor began with the first game, claiming that a secret animatronic named Sparky the Dog would kill the player under specific circumstances in-game.

<em>One of the original Sparky the Dog posts from 2014 (image via blrdnames on Tumblr)</em>
One of the original Sparky the Dog posts from 2014 (image via blrdnames on Tumblr)

Sparky is used for the namesake of the diner seen in the movie. More obviously, Sparky is referenced by an empty dog animatronic that can be seen when Mike and Abby are in the back of the restaurant.

Balloon Boy

Balloon Boy made quite an impact in the FNAF movie, serving as the source of multiple jump scares, despite never appearing in the first game. His intense jump scares may be a reference to the constant jump scares that Balloon Boy provides in FNAF 3, or just his unsettling presence in FNAF 2.

<em>The Balloon Boy jump scare in FNAF 3 (image via Markiplier on YouTube)</em>
The Balloon Boy jump scare in FNAF 3 (image via Markiplier on YouTube)

YouTuber cameos

Popular YouTubers, famous for their FNAF content, also make a few appearances in the film. Most obvious are CoryxKenshin as the cab driver and MatPat as the diner waiter with a couple of theories about breakfast. Other famous YouTubers are also visible on the 'employee of the month' wall, including Razzbowski, Baz, FusionZGamer, Dawko, and 8-Bit Ryan.

One notable absence from the film was Markiplier, AKA the King of Five Nights at Freddy’s. The popular YouTuber explained that he wasn’t able to film a cameo based on his packed schedule filming his own movie, Iron Lung.

IT'S ME

This blink and you’ll miss it easter egg is a reference to the rare in-game screen. This screen often heralds appearances by Golden Freddy. The unsettling message will flash at the player alongside an image of Freddy and distorted audio. Generally, this is a sign that your night isn’t about to go well.

<em>The original "IT'S ME" screen (image via Loredff on YouTube)</em>
The original "IT'S ME" screen (image via Loredff on YouTube)

Celebrate poster and disposable cup

Ripped almost exactly from the first game, these two items appear in the restaurant’s security office. The Celebrate poster depicts Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica on stage as their in-game models. Alongside this entirely game-accurate prop is the red and white striped cup.

<em>The original Celebrate! poster and red cup (image via Loredff on YouTube)</em>
The original Celebrate! poster and red cup (image via Loredff on YouTube)

In fact, it sits at the exact same angle as the game, straw bent and all. These two additions to the office make it feel just like home, except without the giant steel doors on either side.

Vanessa

If you’re only familiar with the original games, you may not have noticed that Vanessa’s entire character is a game reference as well. Her most obvious connection comes from Vanessa in FNAF: Security Breach. She serves as the Fazbear security guard and possibly as an ally to the Mimic. Her in-game character model was used on the inspiration board for the movie character design.

Mike Schmidt

Mike gets his name from the first-ever security guard, as seen on the woefully small check at the end of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s.

<em>The first appearance of the security guard's name (image via Markiplier on YouTube)</em>
The first appearance of the security guard's name (image via Markiplier on YouTube)

William Afton's fate

Spoiler alert! By the end, William Afton is springtrapped by his own suit while the vengeful animatronics drag him into the backrooms. This ending is, beat for beat, exactly the same as the ending of the first FNAF book, The Silver Eyes. While the book setup is different, both stories come to the same conclusion and condemn William Afton for the same fate.

The knife wipe

Matthew Liliard, who plays William Afton, also portrayed horror icon Ghostface in Scream. The infamous knife wipe used in that classic movie makes an appearance in the Five Nights at Freddy’s finale.

<em>Springtrap performing the iconic knife wipe (image via Universal Pictures)</em>
Springtrap performing the iconic knife wipe (image via Universal Pictures)

End credits

It wouldn’t be part of the FNAF series if the movie didn’t end with a cryptic teaser. For this final easter egg, a robotic voice spells out the words “Come Find Me”. Alongside that message is a snippet of audio from the music box in FNAF 2. The music box functioned in that game to keep the Puppet at bay, which heavily hints towards the Puppet making an appearance in any future sequels

It seems likely that Five Nights at Freddy’s will have a sequel, especially since the film recently became the highest-grossing Blumhouse production of all time. Five Nights at Freddy’s made more money than The Purge, Get Out, Paranormal Activity, and Halloween (2018). Any sequels will likely be full of more easter eggs, so be sure to check back here to read all about them!

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