Sumith Prasad
In Peacock/Universal Pictures’ horror film ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ Mike Schmidt dreams of his younger brother Garrett getting kidnapped by an unrevealed man over and over. After accepting the security guard position at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, Mike starts to see a group of five children in his dreams. When he tries to talk to them, the children run away from him, without revealing who they are or how they can help him identify the kidnapper of his brother. The children end up becoming an integral presence in Mike’s five nights at the pizzeria. Intrigued by his ambiguous dreams and mysterious characters, we have unraveled the mystery behind the same. Here’s what we can share! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mike’s Search for Garrett’s Kidnapper
After Garrett got kidnapped by an unknown kidnapper, Mike set out to find the person. He believes that he had seen the man who took his brother irrespective of his inability to remember him. That’s when he came across the theory that every single detail a person sees or comes to know is stored in their system. Mike then started forcing himself to dream the day Garrett got kidnapped, hoping that the kidnapper’s face would resurface in his mind for him to find the criminal. He listens to the sounds of birds to transport his mind to the surroundings where his brother was kidnapped.
The “Visit Nebraska” poster does the same trick, as far as Mike is concerned. Garrett was kidnapped while the Schmidts were spending a vacation in Nebraskan woods. The trees in the poster help him focus his mind on a significant day so that he can try his best to remember the kidnapper without his mind getting distracted. Mike, however, fails each time as he doesn’t remember the kidnapper’s face after trying every day. Still, he continues to dream since he is immersed in the guilt of not protecting his brother. Garrett got kidnapped after their mother asked Mike to look after his younger brother.
Mike’s failure to keep an eye on Garrett cost the latter his life. Thus, Mike punishes himself by dreaming of the kidnapping night after night, hoping that he will be able to see the kidnapper one day.
The Other Victims
The five children Mike encounters in his dreams after he starts working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza are the rest of the victims of William Afton. They are presumably named Gabriel, Jeremy, Susie, Fritz, and Cassidy. The serial killer, in addition to Garrett, kidnapped those five children in the 1980s and eventually killed them. He hid the remains of their body inside the animatronic mascots of his pizzeria as well. The children then possessed the mascots, who were controlled by Afton. When Mike meets the children, he is aware that they know who the kidnapper is and that’s because they were kidnapped by the same person.
When Mike brings Abby to the pizzeria, the children, who possess the animatronic mascots at the place, befriend her. She starts to see them as “friends” as well. Their strange companionship leads the children, led by the boy with blonde hair who is most likely Cassidy, to demand Abby in return for the help they can provide to Mike. They offer him an opportunity to remain in the dream and spend time with Garrett, which will help him put an end to his guilt-filled life. Mike, however, hasn’t lost his senses to accept the offer.
Mike knows that he needs to protect Abby no matter what. The years between the present time and Garrett’s kidnapping must have taught him that his younger brother is gone for good. Mike’s acceptance of the same must have helped him to say no to the children when they propose a trade. He remembers that Abby is the one who is with him for real and he is supposed to protect her. After losing a sibling, Mike doesn’t want to lose another, which makes him come out of the dream and save Abby from the murderous William Afton with the help of Vanessa.
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