On its surface, Five Nights at Freddy’s may seem like nothing more than a simple jump scare fest designed to give YouTube videos something extra scary to display. But, underneath all of the fear and the sudden loud noises lies a deep, rather twisted story about murder, mystery, and despair.

You don't believe me?Read on.

It can get a bit confusing since the stories tend to introduce new elements with each successive release. Have no fear, though, we have all of the information you need put you on the path towards understanding Five Nights at Freddy’s deep narrative, and even some insight into the events of the brand new Five Nights at Freddy’s 4.

So, sit back, grab some snacks and a drink, and you may also want to leave the lights on as you learn just how dark this game world truly is.

The first Five Nights at Freddy’s places players into the shoes of Mike Schmidt, a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Being a security guard at a pizzeria would normally be a walk in the park, but in this case, you must be on the lookout for four roaming animatronics; Freddy the Bear, Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Giant Chick, and Foxy. These animatronics must be allowed to roam freely at night so that their mechanisms don’t lock up. They used to be allowed to wander during the day but after a specific incident, known only as the “Bite of ’87,” this is no longer the case.

The challenge comes as part of these animatronics’ programming. They are not expecting to see humans during the night so when they come across a living being they feel the need to place them into one of the costumes. The problem with that is the costumes are full of springs, gears, and other mechanisms that can (and pretty much always do) kill humans placed inside of them. So you must survive alone in the building, with your only help coming from a human on the phone: Phone Guy.

Playing through this first game reveals the root of Five Nights at Freddy’s sickening story, one which will carry on through the following three entries. Throughout the nights, players will encounter four articles that detail the events that transpired at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. It turns out that kids were being lured and murdered by a man dressed as one of the mascots. The kids were never found, even after the man was caught and charged.

The phone guy.(LOL)

Shortly after these incidents came to light, patrons of the pizzeria started to notice what appeared to be blood and mucus around the mouths and eyes of the animatronics, and a horribly foul odor emanating from them as well. This led to the belief that the murderer stuffed the children’s bodies into each of the animatronics. This theory is further supported after the end of Night 4 in Five Nights at Freddy’s. The Phone Guy is attacked and presumably murdered, but nobody is ever found, leaving fans to believe that he was also stuffed into one of the spring trap suits.

At the end of the game, Mike Schmidt is fired, but that was probably for the best, seeing as how humans don’t seem to fare well at Freddy Fazbear’s.

Five NIghts at Freddy’s 2 takes place before the events of the first game. Leading up to the “Bite of ’87,” players take control of security guard Jeremy Fitzgerald. You will once again receive assistance from Phone Guy, although he is much younger and doesn’t fully have a grasp on how dangerous the animatronics truly are. This time around, there are no doors so you must rely on a flashlight, a Freddy Fazbear head, and a music box.