History HarsherInHindsight / FiveNightsAtFreddys

* Roxy's "I bet you don't even ''have'' friends!" taunt in ''Security Breach'' becomes this in the ''Ruin'' DLC, since none of Cassie's friends showed up to her birthday, and it's implied Roxy was the only one to cheer the poor girl up.
* Depending on your view Roxy's other taunt "Nobody will miss you!" as well as Vanessa calling Gregory a "little monster" are either this or HilariousInHindsight (or maybe even both) as Gregory has since gone on to become one of the most hated and [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]] characters in the game (if not the entire series) due to his TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior with many fans calling him a "goblin"/"gremlin", giving him MemeticPsychopath and/or RonTheDeathEater treatment and even a few wishing he would '''die''', especially after ''Ruin''.

* In a proper example there was the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory Pizzagate conspiracy]] which involved children subjected to politically-approved trafficking after being kidnapped and hidden in actual pizzerias.

* Early in the game, shortly before the Pizzaplex closes, a voice over the intercom says, "Freddy and the gang are pretty tired, but they’ll be back again next week after a few days of scheduled maintenance!" Given what happens in the True Ending... suffice to say no, they won't be.
** Relatedly, knowing what happens in the True Ending can make it very hard to watch the opening cutscene, ''especially'' given how Freddy's malfunction ends up cutting the show short along with [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex Roxanne]] telling herself how her performance tonight was "perfect". As one Website/YouTube comment put it:
--->'''Gingertyperior:''' "It’s even sadder when you realize that this performance was the last time they were all happy and "alive" together."
*** That being said, [[https://twitter.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1531324081697611776/photo/1 this teaser]] for the ''Ruin'' DLC seems to cement this while also simultaneously downplaying it; on the one hand the Pizzaplex's apparent abandonment indicates the animatronics will likely never get to perform again. On the other hand the confirmed survival of Chica suggests it may not be too late to save her and the others just yet. Only time will tell...

** Pertaining to this [[FromBadToWorse it gets darker]] [[FridgeHorror when you realize]] William likely targeted his friend and business partner Henry Emily first ''[[EvilIsPetty simply for having a better personal life than him]]''.

* The animatronics performing in the trailer becomes this when you learn that Baby only performed for ''one day'' due to her child-killing mechanism being activated.

* In a proper example, there was the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory Pizzagate conspiracy]] which involved children being subjected to politically-approved trafficking after being kidnapped and hidden in RealLife pizzerias.

* Phone Guy's entire role in the first game becomes this when you consider that he mentions to you how much he loves the animatronics, Foxy especially. And given this is a prequel...
** Even worse, if you listen to his Night 4 call in the first game, you can hear something banging against the door constantly, and when he is about to die you can hear Freddy's theme which only plays when he is about to kill you ''after'' you run out of power. Now recall that something banging against your door drains a lot of power and Foxy is the animatronic to do that upon being unable to enter.

* The trailer's ArcWords "He will come back. He always does.", which refer to William, become this thanks to his infamous reputation of seemingly[[note]]Before the ''Tales from the Pizzaplex'' novels introduced "the Mimic", [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted Glitchtrap]] and [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach Burntrap]] were generally assumed to be William's ghost, though even a few people suspected them of just being AI copies (which the Mimic has been criticized for effectively being)[[/note]] [[JokerImmunity coming back from the dead non-stop]], which many fans grew tired of.

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game makes ''much more sense'' thanks to this game's ending where a child touches his predecessor Fredbear and ends up maimed.
* If theories about the bite victim of '83 being one of William Afton's children and the first chronological death we see in the games are true, it makes Michael Afton's horrible treatment of his younger brother and presumably his sister Elizabeth Afton even worse.
** Pertaining to this, [[FromBadToWorse it gets darker]] [[FridgeHorror when you realize]] William likely targeted his friend and business partner Henry Emily first ''simply for having a better personal life than him''.

* At the end of Hard Mode [[GodIsEvil Scott himself]] appears as the FinalBoss, angry that people will never be satisfied with his work no matter how much effort he puts into it. Given [[{{Sequelitis}} the game's reception when it was released at the time]] and how [[CreatorBacklash Scott admitted he rushed the game a day later after it was up]], that made it really disheartening...
** Especially if one takes into consideration the lyrics of the fanmade [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdxOPltLiQ I WILL NOT BE MOVED]] music video. The lyrics really could torture those that didn't appreciate the game before. Given the creators were basing this on Scott Cawthon's rant before and after fighting him it sure makes things harsher, huh?
* In the minigame ''FNAF 57: Freddy In Space'', one of the mock sequels Scott is making is called ''FNAF 61: Freddy vs. Bonnie'' and he also said the game will begin the "Freddy Cinematic Universe". It's obviously a shout-out to ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', and considering how critics panned both the game and the movie you could actually feel sorry for Cawthon and Creator/BenAffleck.
** Further regarding ''Freddy In Space''; it's clearly a parody of various horror franchises' tendencies to introduce more overt sci-fi elements which is generally considered a bad move. However, ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' itself would soon garner a similar reputation with later installments introducing the controversial concepts of [[SoulJar Remnant]], [[ThePowerOfHate Agony]] and [[BrownNote illusion discs]], as well as making William Afton a MadScientist.

* In the first game, Phone Guy mused against PlayingPossum as it could cause the animatronics to mistake you for an empty suit and stick a bare endoskeleton in your body. This is essentially what happens in the Bad Ending, with "Eggs Benedict"'s insides being scooped out and an animatronic endoskeleton wearing his skin as a suit.
* The fourth game seemed like a [[AllJustADream broken person's horrific]] [[OrWasItADream extended dream]] unrelated to the rest of the series besides the bite incident at the end. This game subtly reveals in its map and multiple hints in the Private Room (including a 1983 easter egg) that the pizzeria the Child was bitten at is part of ''Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental'' and the house ''[[FridgeHorror was a very real extension to the same facility]]''.

--->'''Gingertyperior:''' "It’s even sadder when you realize that this performance was the last time they were all happy and “alive” together."
*** That being said, [[https://twitter.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1531324081697611776/photo/1 this teaser]] for the "Ruin" DLC seems to cement this while also simultaneously downplaying it; on the one hand, the Pizzaplex's apparent abandonment indicates that the animatronics will likely never get to perform again. On the other hand, the confirmed survival of Chica suggests that it may not be too late to save her and the others just yet. Only time will tell.
* Freddy defends the other Glamrocks, calls them his friends, and refuses to harm them, insisting they are good. While this may be true for Chica and Roxy, the Monty Golf AR-Cade game seems to imply otherwise in regards to Monty; the scenery in the first hole depicts Monty standing close together with Chica and Roxy on the far left, with Freddy on the far right, away from them, suggesting that Monty likes the girls, but not Freddy. The scenery in the final hole is even worse; it depicts Monty, Chica, and Roxy performing onstage together, with Monty in the center and a giant Monty hologram behind them...as well as Freddy ''stuffed inside a dumpster!'' This implies that not only does Monty want Freddy's role as the face of the Pizzaplex, but that he might even be willing to ''scrap'' Freddy in order to obtain it! Doesn't sound like something a good friend would do, does it?
** To say nothing of the notes found in-game that seem to imply that Monty already ''did'' scrap Glamrock Bonnie, ''[[NotBrainwashed without Glitchtrap's influence]]!'' While it's not confirmed if Monty really did do it, if we assume he did then that makes Freddy's above-mentioned angst over Bonnie's disappearance ''far worse'', because it means the animatronic gator that Freddy defends is responsible for Freddy's own sorrow ''and Freddy doesn't even know!''

* Depending on your view, Roxy's other taunt "Nobody will miss you!", as well as Vanessa calling Gregory a "little monster" are either this or HilariousInHindsight (or maybe even both), as Gregory has since gone on to become one of the most hated and [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]] characters in the game (if not the entire ''series'') due to his TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior, with many fans calling him a "goblin"/"gremlin", giving him MemeticPsychopath and/or RonTheDeathEater treatment, and even a few wishing he would '''die''', ''especially'' after ''Ruin''.

* The opening cutscene in which Scott has nightmares of the fanbase attacking him for delaying ''Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach'' and decides to make this game as a means of placating them for the time being becomes harder to watch with the knowledge that this ended up being the last game in the franchise made with Scott's input following his retirement.

** It becomes ForWantOfANail if this means Michael's reckless actions ''drove his own father mad''.

* At the end of Hard Mode [[GodIsEvil Scott himself]] appears as the FinalBoss, angry that people will never be satisfied with his work no matter how much effort he puts into it. Given [[{{Sequelitis}} the game's reception when it was released at the time]] and how [[CreatorBacklash Scott admitted he rushed the game a day later after it was up]] that made it really disheartening...

* Depending on your view, Roxy's other taunt "Nobody will miss you!", as well as Vanessa calling Gregory a "little monster" are either this or HilariousInHindsight, as Gregory has since gone on to become one of the most hated and [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]] characters in the game (if not the entire ''series'') due to his TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior, with many fans calling him a "goblin"/"gremlin", giving him MemeticPsychopath and/or RonTheDeathEater treatment, and even a few wishing he would '''die''', ''especially'' after ''Ruin''.

** Depending on your view, Roxy's other taunt "Nobody will miss you!", as well as Vanessa calling Gregory a "little monster" are either this or HilariousInHindsight, as Gregory has since gone on to become one of the most hated and [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]] characters in the game (if not the entire ''series'') due to his TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior, with many fans calling him a "goblin"/"gremlin", giving him MemeticPsychopath and/or RonTheDeathEater treatment, and even a few wishing he would '''die''', ''especially'' after ''Ruin''.

* Technically this is Harsher ''Before'' Hindsight, but it still counts. One night at a Creator/ChuckECheese establishment an employee who'd been fired hid in the restaurant until it closed, then murdered five people who were still on the premises after hours. It's possible Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Golden Freddy could represent the ones who lost their lives that night the same way they're possessed by five of the missing children.

* One of the customer complaints accuses the Pizzaplex of [[LethalEatery having leftover pizzas recycled in the kitchen for new batches]]; actual pizza locations were believed to have performed the same practice.

** It becomes ForWantofANail if this means Michael's reckless actions ''drove his own father mad''.

* The fourth game seemed like a [[AllJustADream broken person's horrific]] [[OrWasItADream extended dream]] unrelated to the rest of the series besides the bite incident at the end. This game subtly reveals in its map and multiple hints in the Private Room (including a 1983 easter egg) that the pizzeria the Child was bitten at is part of ''Circus Baby's Pizza World'' and the house ''[[FridgeHorror was a very real extension to the same facility]]''.

* Freddy defends the other Glamrocks, calls them his friends, and refuses to harm them, insisting they are good. While this may be true for Chica and Roxy (the latter's [[{{Narcissist}} ego]] and [[{{Jerkass}} bullying]] notwithstanding), the Monty Golf AR-Cade game seems to imply otherwise in regards to Monty; the scenery in the first hole depicts Monty standing close together with Chica and Roxy on the far left, with Freddy on the far right, away from them, suggesting that Monty likes the girls, but not Freddy. The scenery in the final hole is even worse; it depicts Monty, Chica, and Roxy performing onstage together, with Monty in the center and a giant Monty hologram behind them...as well as Freddy ''stuffed inside a dumpster!'' This implies that not only does Monty want Freddy's role as the face of the Pizzaplex, but that he might even be willing to ''scrap'' Freddy in order to obtain it! Doesn't sound like something a good friend would do, does it?
** To say nothing of the notes found in-game that seem to imply that Monty already ''did'' scrap Glamrock Bonnie, ''[[NotBrainwashed without Glitchtrap's]] [[TokenEvilTeammate influence]]!'' While it's not confirmed if Monty really did do it, if we assume he did then that makes Freddy's above-mentioned angst over Bonnie's disappearance ''far worse'', because it means the animatronic gator that Freddy defends is responsible for Freddy's own sorrow ''and Freddy doesn't even know!''

* If theories about the bite victim of '83 being one of William Afton's children and the first chronological death we see in the games are true, it makes Michael Afton's horrible treatment of his younger brother and presumably his sister Elizabeth even worse.

* In the minigame ''FNAF 57: Freddy In Space'', one of the mock sequels Scott is making is called ''FNAF 61: Freddy vs. Bonnie'', and he also said that the game will begin the Freddy Cinematic Universe. It's obviously a shout-out to ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', and considering how critics panned both the game and the movie you could actually feel sorry for both Creator/ScottCawthon and Creator/BenAffleck.

* The opening cutscene in which Scott has nightmares of the fanbase attacking him for delaying ''Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach'' and decides to make this game as a means of placating them for the time being becomes harder to watch with the knowledge that this ended up being the last game in the ''[=FNaF=]'' franchise to be made with Scott's input, following his retirement from game developing.

** [[FromBadToWorse It gets darker]] [[FridgeHorror when you realize]] William likely targeted his friend and business partner Henry Emily first ''simply for having a better personal life than him''.

* At the end of Hard Mode [[GodIsEvil Scott himself]] appears as the FinalBoss, angry that people will never be satisfied with his work no matter how much effort he puts into it. Given [[{{Sequelitis}} the game's reception when it was released at the time]] and how [[CreatorBacklash Scott admitted he rushed the game a day later after it was up]], that made it really disheartening...

** Further regarding ''Freddy In Space''; it's clearly a parody of various horror franchises' tendencies to introduce more overt sci-fi elements in later installments which is generally considered a bad move. However, ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' itself would soon garner a similar reputation, with later installments introducing controversial concepts such as [[SoulJar Remnant]], [[ThePowerOfHate Agony]] and [[BrownNote illusion discs]], as well as making William Afton a MadScientist.

* If theories about the bite victim of '83 being one of William Afton's children and the first chronological death we see in the games, it makes Michael Afton's horrible treatment of his younger brother and presumably his sister Elizabeth even worse.

* In a proper example, there was the conspiracy dubbed "Pizzagate" which involved children being subjected to politically-approved trafficking after being kidnapped and hidden in RealLife pizzerias.

* Even worse, if you listen to his Night 4 call in the first game, you can hear something banging against the door constantly, and when he is about to die you can hear Freddy's theme which only plays when he is about to kill you ''after'' you run out of power. Now recall that something banging against your door drains a lot of power and Foxy is the animatronic to do that upon being unable to enter.

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game makes ''much more'' sense thanks to this game's ending where a child touches his predecessor Fredbear and ends up maimed.

* At the end of Hard Mode, [[GodIsEvil Scott himself]] appears as the FinalBoss, angry that people will never be satisfied with his work, no matter how much effort he puts into it. Given [[{{Sequelitis}} the game's reception when it was released at the time]] and how [[CreatorBacklash Scott admitted he rushed the game a day later after it was up]], that made it really disheartening...
** Especially if one takes into consideration the lyrics of the fan-made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdxOPltLiQ I WILL NOT BE MOVED]] music video. The lyrics really could torture those that didn't appreciate the game before. Given the creators were basing this on Scott Cawthon's rant before and after fighting him, it sure makes things harsher, huh?
* In the minigame ''FNAF 57: Freddy In Space'', one of the mock sequels Scott is making is called ''FNAF 61: Freddy vs. Bonnie'', and he also said that the game will begin the Freddy Cinematic Universe. It's obviously a shout-out to ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', and considering how critics panned both the game and the movie, you could actually feel sorry for both Creator/ScottCawthon and Creator/BenAffleck.
** Further regarding ''Freddy In Space''; it's clearly a parody of various horror franchises' tendencies to introduce more overt sci-fi elements in later installments, which is generally considered a bad move. However, ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' itself would soon garner a similar reputation, with later installments and novels introducing controversial concepts such as [[SoulJar remnant]] and [[BrownNote illusion discs]], as well as making William Afton a MadScientist.

* The fourth game seemed like a [[AllJustADream broken child's horrific]] [[OrWasItADream extended coma dream]], unrelated to the rest of the series besides the bite incident at the end. This game subtly reveals in its map and multiple hints in the Private Room (including a 1983 easter egg) that the pizzeria The Child was bitten at is part of ''Circus Baby's Pizza World'', and that the house the boy tried to survive in ''[[FridgeHorror was a very real extension to the same facility]]''.
* The animatronics' designs give off a definite MonsterClown vibe. This game was released during the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_clown_sightings clown sightings of 2016]].

* When Gregory sees Vanny for the first time, he asks Freddy if he also saw "the dancing rabbit", to which Freddy replies that "There is no rabbit at the Mega Pizzaplex... Not anymore." Later, it's revealed that Freddy was referring to Bonnie, who's been decommissioned prior to the events of the game; upon visiting his area, Bonnie Bowl, Freddy will remark that he's still grieving Bonnie's absence. This makes the MoodWhiplash of the former conversation all the more potent, given how it comes right after a lighthearted joke about Freddy not seeing Vanny, and thinking Gregory is asking about a fountain.

** Relatedly, knowing what happens in the True Ending can make it very hard to watch the opening cutscene, ''especially'' given how Freddy's malfunction ends up cutting the show short, along with [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex Roxanne]] telling herself how her performance tonight was "perfect". As one Website/YouTube comment put it:

** To say nothing of the notes found in-game that seem to imply that Monty already ''did'' scrap Glamrock Bonnie, ''[[NotBrainwashed without Glitchtrap's]] [[TokenEvilTeammate influence]]!'' While it's not confirmed if Monty really did do it, if we assume he did, then that makes Freddy's above-mentioned angst over Bonnie's disappearance ''far worse'', because it means the animatronic gator that Freddy defends is responsible for Freddy's own sorrow, ''and Freddy doesn't even know!''

* Even worse, if you listen to his Night 4 call in the first game, you can hear something banging against the door constantly, and then when he is about to die you can hear Freddy's theme, which only plays when he is about to kill you ''after'' you run out of power. Now recall that something banging against your door drains a lot of power and Foxy is the animatronic that does that upon being unable to enter.

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game makes ''much more'' sense thanks to this game's ending where a child physically touches his predecessor Fredbear and ends up maimed.

* Even worse, if you listen to his Night 4 call in the first game, you can hear something banging against the door quite constantly, and then when he is about to die you can hear Freddy's theme, which only plays when he is about to kill you ''after'' you run out of energy. Now recall that something banging against your door drains a lot of power, and that Foxy is the animatronic that does that upon being unable to enter.

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game makes ''much more'' sense thanks to this game's ending, where a child physically touches his predecessor Fredbear and ends up maimed.

* Even worse, if you listen to his Night 4 call in the first game, you can hear something banging against the door quite constantly, and then when he is about to die you can hear Freddy's theme, which only plays when he is about to kill you ''after'' you run out of energy, what was exactly the effect of something banging against your door and which was the animatronic that did it upon being unable to enter?

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game makes ''much more'' sense thanks to this game's ending, where a child makes contact with his predecessor Fredbear and ends up maimed.

* Early in the game, shortly before the Pizzaplex closes, a voice over the intercom says, "Freddy and the gang are pretty tired, but they’ll be back again next week after a few days of scheduled maintenance!" Given what happens in the True Ending...suffice to say no, they won't be.

* In the minigame FNAF 57: Freddy In Space, one of the mock sequels Scott is making is called FNAF 61: Freddy vs. Bonnie, and he also said that the game will begin the Freddy Cinematic Universe. It's obviously a shout-out to ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', and considering how critics panned both the game and the movie, you could actually feel sorry for both Creator/ScottCawthon and Creator/BenAffleck.

* The "Don't touch Freddy" rule in the first game now makes ''so much more'' sense thanks to this game's ending.

* The opening cutscene in which Scott has nightmares of the fanbase attacking him for delaying ''Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach'' and decides to make this game as a means of placating them for the time being becomes less easy to watch with the knowledge that this ended up being the last game in the ''[=FNaF=]'' franchise to be made with Scott's input, following his retirement from game developing.

* The game's premise of playing as a child trapped after hours in an indoor amusement park with HostileAnimatronics and a SerialKiller is bad enough [[AdultFear as is]]. The heavy implication that Gregory is a homeless or otherwise disadvantaged child who either snuck in or was brought in through unofficial means, and might not even ''have'' anyone who'd look for him makes it worse, especially if you approach certain bits (such as some of the animatronics' voice lines and Vanessa berating him in Lost and Found) with that in mind. Fortunately, it also makes [[ParentalSubstitute his dynamic with Freddy]] HeartwarmingInHindsight for the same reason.

* At the end of Hard Mode, [[GodIsEvil Scott himself]] appears as the FinalBoss, angry that people will never be satisfied with his work, no matter how much effort he puts into it.]] Given [[{{Sequelitis}} the game's reception when it was released at the time and how [[CreatorBacklash Scott admitted he rushed the game a day later after it was up]], that made it really disheartening...