Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 In Norway

At the end of my semester abroad, I left my familiar dorm in Copenhagen, Denmark, and made my way up to Norway to watch the northern lights. Bodø, Norway is a charming, but sparse town. Because of the chilly weather and days enveloped in darkness, many of the usual tourist activities were closed down. It was eerie, but also oddly comforting. 

After getting settled in my hostel, I met my guide and tour group. We drove around, chasing the lights and making awkward small talk. As I gazed at the sky, icy wind blowing at my face, I deflected questions about American politics.

The northern lights are beautiful; it’s not possible to put into words. After seeing the vivid blues and greens of the aurora borealis, I was dropped off at my hostel and promptly went to bed. I woke up in the morning with no plans and an entire day stretched before me. In an attempt to get to know Bodø, I roamed the empty streets and read in a cafe, feeling swallowed under the gloomy awnings. It was almost as if I had the whole town to myself, and soon I was itching for something to do. I decided to go to the local theater and see a movie I had been looking forward to for a long time: “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.”

I expected the theater to be as empty as the streets of Bodø. Instead, it mirrored my experience of seeing any highly anticipated movie in the AMCs of New York with the caveat of Norwegian subtitles flashing across the bottom of the screen. I had spent all day wondering where everyone in the town was, and here they were, watching giant animatronics with the souls of dead children buried inside of them. 

I was thrilled to be there, a sentiment echoed by everyone around me. People gasped and clapped, interacting with the movie enthusiastically. I knew no one there and I could barely see their faces, but I felt a profound sense of community, more than I had felt in theaters in my hometown.

I think about this experience often. It’s amusing but also very human to find connection on the other side of the world doing something that feels silly. I was in a whole new place, and decided to see a movie that I could have seen anywhere. While I felt connected to Bodø when seeing the northern lights, somehow lethal animatronics stomping around a school felt like my most genuine interaction with the town. 

Lily Ahluwalia is a member of the class of 2027 and can be reached at lahluwalia@wesleyan.edu.