Summary
Five Nights At Freddy’shas introducedseveral unsettling charactersover the years. Since the first game’s release back in early August 2014, the animatronics have only gotten more fearsome. Freddy Fazbear from the firstFive Nights At Freddy’sdoesn’t seem so menacing now that animatronics such as the Marionette, Daycare Attendant, and Nightmare Fredbear have emerged from the darkness.
The franchise’s chilling characters have terrified millions of players, especially those with fears of animatronics and mannequins. The release of theFive Nights At Freddy’s: Security BreachDLC “Ruin,” in July 2023 had lots of fans and content creators revisiting the series as a whole, allowing them to rediscover many of these forgotten, nightmarish animatronics. As well as this, theFive Nights At Freddy’smovie was released in October 2023 and brought the classic animatronics to life in a frightening and vividinterpretation of the story.
Updated November 11th, 2023 by Alexandra O’Leary:The Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise is so expansive that it’s home to a huge selection of creepy animatronics, each with their own style and lore. With thirteen games including both the main story-line and spin-offs, there’s a massive list of contenders for most frightening. There are a few different reasons these particular characters end up haunting players. Sometimes it’s to do with character design, other times it’s the mechanics or level it’s featured in. With all this in mind, there are some additions to this list that consider all the aspects of what makes FNAF animatronics so scary.
13S.T.A.F.F. Bots (Security, Map, Mop and Nightmarionne Bots)
Unexpected Jumpscares
Almost anybody who playedFive Nights At Freddy’s Security Breachwill understand why the S.T.A.F.F Bots have earned a spot in theFNAFhall of fame. As pretty much any playthrough on YouTube or Twitch will prove, the S.T.A.F.F Bots absolutely have one of the most unexpected jumpscares inFNAFhistory.
These unsuspecting security bots will zoom around the building, and most players will instinctually try to avoid them. However, getting caught by one will cause it to grab Gregory and activate the most startling, blaring alarm of all time. Although it’s clear these bots aren’t friends, next to nobody expected them to be such a phenomenal jumpscare.
12Rockstar Bonnie
Creepiest Dialogue
Rockstar Bonnie appears to be designed as a cross between Bonnie and Toy Bonnie. The minor animatronic was introduced inFreddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator.Rockstar Bonnie was also included as one of the fifty animatronics featured inFive Nights At Freddy’s: Ultimate Custom Night.
The fearsome part of Rockstar Bonnie comes not from his looks, but from his lines of dialogue featured inFive Nights At Freddy’s: Ultimate Custom Night.He speaks in rhymes that have been pitched to make the monotone voice sound as if it’s “singing.” Even creepier, his rhymes are all dark, threatening, and graphic in nature, with lines such as:“What a fine day to come and say that your face and flesh I must flay.”
It’s a common trope in horror to have monsters without faces. Removing a character’s face removes their ability to express emotions, even if they’re primarily those of anger or fear, making the audience less able to empathize or identify with them. Withered Bonnie falls into this category of faceless monsters, and it was the only one of the original four animatronics toget such a drastic redesigninFive Nights At Freddy’s 2.
The design itself is chilling, especially for those who are freaked out by the mechanical innards of the animatronics. Being able to see the teeth and technology behind Bonnie’s normally fuzzy, friendly, and welcoming face feels like the player is seeing something they shouldn’t.
10Molten Freddy
Unsettling Appearance
Molten Freddy was introduced as one of the main antagonists inFreddy Fazbear’sPizzeria Simulator.He’s a decrepit, melted animatronic that’s primarily made up of wires and broken mechanical parts. Canonically, he’s supposed to be an amalgamation of what remains of Ennard, Funtime Freddy, Funtime Foxy, and Ballora.
His appearance is unsettling, with wires and animatronic parts sticking out of his body. His face is melted and broken, giving off an even creepier appearance. Molten Freddy is unnerving from far away, making his in-your-face jumpscares even more jarring.
9Nightmare Balloon Boy
Disturbingly Uncanny
The original version of Balloon Boy is already an unsettling presence. The wide, round eyes and blank stare is enough to make any player feel uncomfortable. Nightmare Balloon Boy takes the creepiness to a whole new level, with all of his features made worse in every way.
Nightmare Balloon Boy has horribly exaggerated features that give him this uncanny, human-adjacent look. When things appear as if they should be human, but have certain qualities that make them off or strange, it can become uncanny. This has been used in the horror genre for decades, specifically because it makes humans so frightened and uncomfortable. Nightmare Balloon Boy fulfills all these aspects, and his creepyFive Nights At Freddy’s 4appearance in which he scuttles down a hallway towards the player only adds to the off-putting, human-adjacent vibe he’s putting out.
Paired with the creepy laugh, and his horrendous lines inUltimate Custom Night, this horrible little boy with dozens of teeth and awful, long fingers easily ranks high in the most terrifying animatronics to date.
Ennard is the cunning, deceptive main antagonist inFive Nights At Freddy’s Sister Location.Over the course of the game, the player is led astray by the directions of Ennard.
Its appearance and intentions are equally terrifying. Its unsettling, clown-like face is a true fright for those who have aphobia of clowns, dolls, or mannequins.Its face is matched by the fear that comes with knowing that all this animatronic wants is to lure the player into the “scooping room,” where they’ll meet a gory, untimely demise.
7DJ Music Man
Heart-Stopping Chase Sequence
DJ Music Man might look friendly and playful, but the sheer size of this clown/spider-like animatronic is enough to give players the chills.Introduced inFive Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach,DJ Music Man is a true nightmare, especially for those who have phobias of dolls and spider-like creatures.
One of the most memorable and heart-pounding scenes inFive Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breachis where DJ Music Man slowly creeps towards Gregory as he’s trying desperately to dodge obstacles and run away. The stealth aspect of the game might have been one of its prime features, but there’s something especially chilling about this pants-soiling chase scene.
6Scrap Baby
Nightmarish Model
Scrap Baby looks like something directly out of a child’s nightmare. With sharp, jagged teeth, small pupils, a decrepit exterior, and even a large, claw-like hand, she’s pulled out all the stops to make players feel terrified by her appearance.
Introduced as one of the main antagonists inFreddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator,Scrap Baby is by far one of the most visually chilling antagonists. As well as this, she has a complicated role withinFNAFlore which only adds to her frightening presence.
5The Daycare Attendant (Sun/Moon/Eclipse
Eerily Sinister Behaviour
Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breachdidn’t introduce many brand-new animatronics, but the ones it did were bone-chilling, to say the least. Many fans of the series will remember the Daycare Attendant section of the game well, and for good reason. The Daycare Assistant, known as Sun or Moon dependent on which face they’re sporting, is creepily cheerful and all their dialogue is filled with sinister undertones.
Both faces have large, toothy grins - with unsettling, human-like teeth - which contrasts their often malicious intentions. Sun may seem harmless enough, raving frantically about games and candy when the player enters the daycare, but they menacingly insist that the lights must stay on. There’s not much more they could’ve said to instill some serious fright in players, who only need to comply with one simple rule:don’t turn off the lights.
Nightmarionne was introduced as one of the special animatronics included in the Halloween Update ofFive Nights At Freddy’s 4.It’s meant to be the “nightmare” version of the Marionette fromFive Nights At Freddy’s 2,but its name has been notably shortened down to Nightmarionne.
Its outward appearance is one of the most menacing in the franchise to date. Nightmarionne glares at the player with two glowing eyes and dons a large, sharp-toothed smile. Physically, itlooks a lot like theSlenderman,with long, black limbs and tendrils accompanied by a white, porcelain face.
