It’s been a statement of fact for some time now that films based on video games are complete and utter pants. And anyone who has seen any of the Resident Evil franchise, Assassin’s Creed or, god forbid, Pixels will testify to that.

It won’t stop them coming however, possibly with the thinking that gamers are a loyal bunch, and as the gaming industry makes more money than the film industry, there’s still a buck or two to be made.

This latest entry then is based on a franchise that’s been running since 2014, set in the titular restaurant.

Life can be a bitch, just ask Mike (Josh Hutcherson); with both his parents out of the picture, he’s left to bring up his young sister Abby (Piper Rubio) all on his own. He’s also struggling to keep a job, mostly down to him having issues with his sleep, haunted by nightmares triggered by childhood trauma.

And if that’s not enough, he has to try and stay employed long enough, because he has an evil aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson) who is determined to take custody of Abby with any mistake he makes.

A job becomes available, that’s about as opposite as too good to be true can be, working as a night security guard at a disused restaurant. But with no other options, he agrees to take it.

And so he soon finds himself inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place, that used to be a happening place to take the kids in the eighties, with its arcades and pinball machines. Its main attraction however was its funky animatronics characters, that still reside there, that used to entertain and play music to the guests.

What at first seems like an easy enough job soon takes on a whole new, sinister light at night, when the band come out to play.

Although the game franchise certainly has some momentum, with around 18 titles released to date both in the main series and spin-offs, it’s hardly a household name. It’s fair to say then that it’s a series that could easily pass the most ardent gamer by.

This film does a good job of staying faithful to the premise of the game at least, but that’s about all it does.

US director Emma Tammi has pushed surprisingly hard in the story direction, neglecting one fairly important aspect – the horror. There’s a lot of emotional depth here, which looks at childhood trauma, a strained relationship between a brother and sister, and the heavy responsibilities that come with it. So much in fact that it comes at the expense of any sense of terror. Obviously it’s not helped by the fact the main antagonists look like furry cute animals, who even when they’re in full-on evil mode just aren’t that threatening.

It’s as if a decision was made to put the somewhat dark story up front, and prop it up as little as possible with the silliness that takes place. The result is a curiosity, that although has a look and feel of something sinister, it plays out like a tame PG effort, making it as traumatising as a cold slice of pizza. There’s an undeniable Scooby-Doo quality to it, which is kind of ironic considering Matthew Lillard, who played Shaggy in the big screen outings, makes an appearance.

Of course the huge success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the Sonic flicks means that this trend of films based on games is set to continue. Just as this one continues the trend of them generally not being very good.