Five Nights at Freddy’s Fazbear Frights #3
By: Scott Cawthon, Elley Cooper & Andrea Waggener
“She could keep time and serve as an alarm clock, manage appointments, keep track of lists, take photos, read stories, sing songs, and even serve drinks.”
Scott Cawthon, 1:35AM: Five Nights a Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights #3
*This post contains spoilers for 1:35 A.M.
Fazbear Frights is a series of short stories set in the Five Nights at Freddy’s universe. In the past, I had included all three stories from each volume into one post but decided to start breaking them up into individual discussions to really focus on each story. The stories are never connected so comparing them to one another isn’t necessary.
If you want to get caught up on other terrifying tales you can check out my post on Fazbear Frights #1 & Fazbear Frights #2.
Overview:
Delilah is in a rut in her life. Her ex-husband left her with nothing and the only job that she could get was working in a diner with unpredictable hours. She tries to dig herself out of her depression by running and saying mantras but all of it just makes her more frustrated that she lost the life she always wanted.
One day, while driving through a nice neighborhood, Delilah stumbles upon a garage sale. There she comes across an electronic baby doll that reminded her of the child she hoped to one day have before her life was turned upside down. Pleased to find out that the doll, named Ella, functions as an alarm clock. Something Delilah desperately needs as her’s is broken and her sleep schedule is all over the place.
However, the first time Delilah tries to use the alarm function, it does not go off and she is late for work. Frustrated with this, Delilah throws away the doll in a dumpster by her apartment but not before realizing how real the doll feels to touch.
Later that night at exactly 1:35am (12 hours after she thought she set the alarm for originally) she is woken up. The same thing occurs the following night but this time she hears whispering. Realizing that the alarm will continue to go off every night, she heads to the dumpster to try and find Ella but she was no where insight.
For a third night in a row the same thing happens at exactly 1:35 in the morning. The alarm continues to go off each night even after the dumpsters have been emptied. More unnerving is that Delilah starts to hear noises outside her window and under her bed. Like something or someone is there.
Delilah decides to speak with her neighbor Mary to see if she took the doll from the trash. Not only did Mary not admit to taking it but she gives Delilah a warning about bringing secondhand things into your life.
“Secondhand stuff brings secondhand energy. Old hands. Bad hands. Tainted with story.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s Fazbear Frights #3: 1:35 A.M.
Still, the 1:35 A.M. alarm continued. Getting worse and worse and causing Delilah to have not only psychological but physical symptoms as well. The only solution she could think of was to not go to sleep so she asked to be switched to nights at the diner. But she could still hear an alarm go off and see bits of Ella out of the corner of her eye. All this panic causes Delilah to lose her job.
Nothing seems to work and wherever she goes, Ella is close behind. Delilah can’t take it anymore and she runs and hides and eventually finds herself in an old construction site. She jams herself in an old vent where she can’t move and Ella can’t follow. It is implied that she never gets out.
The Energy of Second Hand Items
This concept really intrigues and frightens me. I love getting things secondhand. More often than not everything you buy new is so much more expensive than getting something that has only been used a few times. Why not get something cheaper and you’re not adding to packing and shipping waste?
According to Delilah’s neighbor Mary, when you take in secondhand items you also bring in the energy of it. It defiantly makes me think twice before picking something up.
You never think about the person that owned the item before you. Were they a good person or a bad person and why did they get rid of it? If you knew that someone did something awful and you had an item of theirs, would you keep it? I don’t think that I would be able to possess something if it had that stigma attached to it.
An example I can think of is my old engagement ring. I have been trying to get rid of it for some time but can’t find the right way to sell it. Some of my friends have offered to buy it from me but I would feel weird giving them something that in my mind is cursed.
Your Anxieties Can Ruin Your Life
Waiting for something bad to happen can be an incredibly unsettling experience. The constant anticipation, the gnawing worry, can sometimes consume us more than the actual event itself. It’s as if we’re imprisoned by our own fears, unable to see beyond the borders of our anxieties.
But what happens when our well-meaning concerns begin to strain our relationships? Often, those around us may struggle to fully grasp the extent of our worries. They may not understand why we can’t simply let go and live in the present moment. These individuals, who genuinely want to help and support us, can become weary of our perpetual state of anxiety.
Reflecting on Ella’s journey, it’s essential to recognize that she may not have been haunted by an external force like she initially believed. Perhaps, it was the accumulation of various challenges and burdens in her life that converged upon her like a tempestuous storm. The sight of a doll, a stark reminder of the child she had once imagined having with her ex-husband, proved to be the final breaking point for her already fragile spirit.
In moments like these, it becomes crucial for us to support and uplift one another, to lend a compassionate ear and a helping hand. Mental health is a delicate matter, and it is imperative that we approach it with sensitivity and understanding.
Overall,
This hit so hard. As someone who has intense anxiety, that has caused me to lose really important relationships this was all too real. You make everything so much worse in your own head and allow these things to hold you back. People try to adjust to what makes you comfortable but it ends up being too much after a while.
The author really understood the dread that many of us face. We’re all supposed to know what we’re doing but a lot of us are just holding on.
1:35 A.M. is very different from the first two books in the series. These stories are about adults with deep adult problems while the others are about young kids and teens. It was surprising to see this change but I think it was so smart and even if you don’t get the root of Ella’s terror it is still a terrifying story.
Rating: 5/5 stars
FableStoryNovel 
4 thoughts on “1:35 A.M.”