One Five Nights at Freddy's animatronic character unexpectedly burst into flames on set. Based on the video games series of the same name, Five Nights at Freddy’s is an upcoming horror film from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. Five Nights at Freddy’s is directed by Emma Tammi, and stars Josh Hutcherson as the security guard working at the fated Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

As Tammi tells IGN, ahead of the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s one character spontaneously combusted on set. The director recounted that during production one day, she “heard someone quietly and calmly say ‘Foxy’s arm is on fire.’” Upon further investigation, the production team discovered that “one of the servos” had overheated on set, and was now causing the animatronic arm to smoke. Check out the full quote from Tammi below:

There was one day where we were rolling, and I heard someone quietly and calmly say ‘Foxy’s arm is on fire.’ And I looked over and one of the servos had been going for quite some time, and had overheated, which happens sometimes. But this was actually the only time it happened on set. And it started smoking, and everything like calmly walked away, we put it out and switched the arm. But yeah, there were live, robotic elements at play, and sometimes they only have a certain amount of time that they can operate.

Why This Five Nights at Freddy’s BTS Story Is Perfect for the Film

Five Nights at Freddy’s follows the story of an overnight security guard, Mike, working for a Chuck E. Cheese-esque pizza joint called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The parlor includes a group of animatronic animals used to entertain young guests. While working the night shift, Mike discovers that his job may not be as simple as he thought it would be as Freddy Fazbear, Foxy, and the other characters begin to come to life, and with a vengeance.

Five Nights at Freddy’s theme of a robot-turned-possessed is the driving concept of its horror. According to Tammi, the Five Nights at Freddy’s robots actually did go wrong on set. While this must have been a startling moment for the production team, this behind-the-scenes story is an amusing surprise given an arm set aflame is not that far afield from the actual misfortunes that could occur in Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Tammi’s story is also a reminder of the practical effects used for Five Nights at Freddy’s. Rather than go the CGI route, Five Nights at Freddy’s deploys “live, robotic elements.” This choice brings the film closer to the intent of its source material, hopefully allowing Five Nights at Freddy’s to deliver a solid adaptation to long-time followers of the video game.

Source: IGN