Horror has been at the peak of human interest since any person could sit down and write a few sentences about something utterly terrifying. People have always wanted to feel scared in a safe environment, through books, movies or even video games.

   Some of the first forms of horror games came in hit classics like “Amnesia”, “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill”. They often sport a thrilling chase from murderous, weapon-wielding and often distorted-looking creatures; however, Five Nights at Freddy’s took a fresh look at this classic game formula. 

   In the game, the player is tasked with guarding family restaurant Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, containing four chilling animatronic mascots, which hunt the player with the intent to kill throughout five nights. The player’s only defense is to hide and run; if they fail, they are “jump scared” by an animatronic, and the game takes the player back to their last save point. 

   The game series has about six games total. Each follows twisted lore that becomes more complicated with every new game released. The plotline is based heavily around a man, William Afton, who creates animatronics to murder children and hide their bodies within. 

   However, his children end up caught in the mix… it is a genuinely long and highly complicated ordeal that can take many hours to explain completely. However, popular YouTuber MatPat, on his channel The Game Theorists, has released several in-depth videos over the years that attempt to decode and figure out the significance behind all the FNAF lore.

   The game was created in 2014 and along the way experienced small bouts of popularity. Nonetheless, the fandom is still heavy with diehard fans. 

   However, recently, the release of the new game Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, has brought massive popularity to the series through the popularity of new social media, especially platforms like TikTok. With bright, flashy neon colors, smooth animation and the introduction of two new characters, the game, despite all its bugs, rose to extreme fame very quickly.

    This was also thanks to the help of popular Youtuber Markiplier, who created a 20-part series playing the new game, racking up millions of views per part. Along with the newfound popularity of the series came a sudden surge in listening to songs related to the FNAF lore. 

   Music like “It’s Been So Long” by The Living Tombstone, released in 2014, has gone viral on TikTok. Hundreds of fan-made games, videos, and other kinds of content, both new and old, have taken over the media, especially among teenagers who remember playing FNAF in their youth.