Web Animation / Squimpus McGrimpus

Squimpus McGrimpus is an Analog Horror YouTube channel dedicated to Five Nights at Freddy's content. Despite having joined the community mid-2016, the channel gained a sudden influx in popularity and subscribers after a YouTube user by the name of VaporTheGamer reacted to one of their videos. Now, at the end of 2019, the channel has sharply jumped to over 60 thousand subscribers.

The playlist containing the full FNAF VHS series can be found here.

For other series dealing with found footage-style horror in the same vein as Squimpus, see The Walten Files by Martin Walls and Harmony & Horror by Battington.

Battington also began remaking the series in 2021 with Squimpus's approval (although it was explicitly cancelled later on); channels of other YouTubers have followed suit even before Battington and made their own video tapes. Tropes exclusive to the remakes can be found here.

On March 17th, 2023, after a series of allegations against them, Squimpus admitted to grooming a minor in their Discord server and stated they would be stepping away from the internet to seek help for their issues.

Not to be confused with another fellow youtuber Pringus McDingus.

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Tropes used in the main/original FNAF VHS series:

• Adaptational Name Change: Canonically 4 of the 5 Missing Kids are named Gabriel (Freddy) Fritz (Foxy) Susie (Chica) and Jeremy (Bonnie). "Security Footage" instead named the ghost who haunted Bonnie under the name of Lucas. "Animated Cartoon" also gave names to the remaining Missing Children; Benjamin, Angie, and Nicole.
• Adapted Out: The story of these tapes draw almost entirely from the first four FNAF games, meaning that any material from Sister Location or Pizzeria Simulator is not accounted for, and the story canonically stops at FNAF 3.
  • Subsequently, Elizabeth Afton and Henry Emily never make appearances nor are they even mentioned in a single canon entry, with the former's absence implying that William Afton only had two children, Michael and Joseph(the FNAF 4 Crying Child's given name), though the latter's case is interesting, as Charlie Emily is confirmed to exist and play the same role as in the original games, which bring Henry's possible role into question. Word of God confirms that Henry Emily does likely exist, but as a much less pivotal character, just being an ordinary everyday father who isn't connected to Fazbear Entertainment in any way.
• Alternate Universe Fic: The creator themself said that the VHS videos take place in an alternate continuity.
• Arc Words: Various references to "not existing," particularly in the context of Fredbear and Michael's brother.
• Berserk Button: Don't show the toy animatronics a picture of William Afton unless you want your face torn off. The technician in Facial Recognition Testing nearly learned that the hard way.
• Big Bad: William Afton, obviously.
  • Golden Freddy(aka Bite of '83 victim/Joseph Afton) for Season 1.
• Censor Box: In the first video, a black box appears to cover up Freddy's exposed torso, but it's not big enough to completely cover up the blood leaking from his collar and pelvis.
• Deadpan Snarker: "Animated Cartoon" characterizes Freddy as this.
  Bonnie: What's so bad about food fights? I like them.
  Freddy: I dunno! Clean it up and find out. [hands Bonnie a mop]
• Deuteragonist: The Puppet.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: "Finale" ends things off with William dead, the children set free, and Joseph having forgiven Michael.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Unrepentant murderer though he may be, William Afton really did love his son Joseph.
• Evil Is Petty: So, why did William Afton murder five children and have them trapped in horrifying undeath for decades?. Well, if only because those kids, through basically NO fault of their own, somehow reminded William of Michael, the same son of his whom he was never able to kill himself, so his solution was to lure those innocent kids all to the backrooms of Freddy's and viciously gut them all in Michael's place, because THEN he knew no one would catch him in the act. One things for damn sure, Michael absolutely does not need HIS "love".
• Greater-Scope Villain: William for Season 1.
• Hell Is That Noise: In the "Security Training" video, Springtrap's howls of agony are certainly enough to cause hairs to raise on the back of one's neck.
• The Hero: Michael Afton.
• Karmic Death: Springtrap's death in "Finale" comes at the hand of Michael, the son he unrepentantly abused and wanted to gruesomely kill. As a bonus, it came after being sealed in an empty room for years thanks to the kids he murdered.
• Madness Mantra:
  • CRIMINAL CRIMINAL CRIMINAL CRIMINAL...
  • He does not exist. He does not exist. He does not exist. He does not exist.
• Mood Whiplash: Every video that looks like a cheesy and harmless training video inevitably takes a turn for the worse.
• Motive Rant: The entirety of "Memories" is William Afton calmly explaining why he went and killed the 5 missing children.
• Named by the Adaptation: In the series' canon, the actual name of the Crying Child/Bite Victim was not revealed. In[[spolier: "Memories" however, he goes under the name of Joseph Afton.]]
• Nightmare Face: Every shot of a human face in the series qualifies for this.
  • "Sound Response Check" shows us Angie, the girl possessing Chica. Her face would probably be fine if it wasn't so... scrambled.
  • "Facial Recognition Testing" shows a photo of William Afton, grinning creepily...and then it's warped into a monstrosity resembling his sprites from the games, complete with purple coloration.
  • Joseph's face, which shows up in multiple videos, is partially framed in shadow, but what we do see makes it clear that the features aren't exactly positioned correctly. Most likely as a symptom of having his scalp caved in by an animatronic bear's jaw.
  • In "Finale," William's death is marked with a version of his photo, recolored red and edited to look like his head is charred and melting.
• Noodle Incident: At the end of "Nonexistent Video," Spring Bonnie (whom we get to see at his prime, finally acting in-character along with his partner for once) tells a story about how he once got stuck in a washing machine, and Fredbear had to cut a hole in it to get him out.
• Nothing Is Scarier: Some videos utilizes this trope to a T with the usage of blank title cards or black screens and using little-to-no music outside of the VHS droning.
• Offing the Offspring: It is all and outright stated out loud that William wanted nothing more than to strangle Michael, his only remaining child, to DEATH after he accidentally killed Joseph, out of sheer anger, because Joseph was only one out of the two that he actually loved. In fact, [[spoiler: the only reason William caused the infamous Missing Children's Incident at all was to repeatedly imagine himself as slaughtering his own child repeatedly until his rage was fully vented.
• Parental Favoritism: "Memories" imply that Michael bullied Joseph/the Crying Child, leading to the events of the Bite, because William, in his own words, "loved [Joseph] so much more."
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The technician testing Toy Bonnie's facial recognition in the Facial Recognition Testing video decides to book it after the blue rabbit attacks him, pausing to call Fazbear Entertainment a death trap.
  Technician: God dammit, you know what!? How about you take your facial recognition and SHOVE IT!? Because I'm not working in this DEATH TRAP anymore, STARTING RIGHT NOW!
• Shout-Out: Does the jingle at the end of "Bonnie Joint Movement Testing" sound familiar? That's because it's a music box rendition of The Caretaker's An Empty Bliss Beyond This World.
• Sudden Soundtrack Stop: Happens in most videos, just in time for the Nightmare Fuel to kick into overdrive.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: In Company PSA, the narrator instructs employees to say this when asked about Fredbear and Spring Bonnie:
  Narrator: Fredbear does not exist. Spring Bonnie does not exist. Nothing happened to anyone. He does not exist. He does not exist. He does not exist. He does not exist.
• The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Well, more along the lines of "The tape knew who would view it." At the end of "Memories" William says that he looks at the tape every day to see if it's been viewed, before warning Michael in particular to put it back and start running, as he knew Michael would be the only one who would ever view such a tape.
• Unperson: Fazbear Entertainment attempted to perform this on Fredbear and Spring Bonnie after the bite of '83. They specifically request employees to say they do not exist if asked about them. To make this even worse, Joseph, who now haunts the Fredbear suit as this timeline's version of Golden Freddy, caught wind of this act of negligence, and in his anger towards his situation, declares his desire for revenge to his brother, Michael, him being the one who accidentally killed him.
• Upsetting the Balance: Parodied in "Animated Cartoon," when the Fazbear Four notice that there are two empty seats at the table as they're about to sit down for pizza night. The normally sarcastic Freddy finds himself unable to come up with any snarky quips, which Foxy finds unnerving.
• Walking Spoiler: It's hard to mention Joseph without his relation to William's motives and actions.
• Wham Line: During "Memories", near the end of the tape, as William Afton is wrapping his rant up, he makes mention that he always makes sure the tape is never moved from it's spot in his bedroom. He says this to tell anyone watching the tape that he'll know of their viewing after the fact. Three guesses as to precisely who on Earth would want to watch one of Afton's motive rants:

Tropes used in non-canon videos

• Adaptational Villainy: Circus Baby. In canon, she was at best uncomprehending, and at worst distraught, of the incident where she killed Elizabeth Afton. In "sad_girl.mp4," this version of Baby instead demonstrates extreme contempt for Elizabeth, mocking the poor girl's loneliness and neglect by William, and the audio of her killing Elizabeth is accompanied by an image of her with a ghastly grimace.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: In "birthdayboy.mp4," Funtime Freddy's eyes, and only his eyes, can be seen peering out of the darkness. Baby also has these in "sad_girl.mp4."
• Nightmare Face:
  • Balloon Boy's smile, warped and coloured purple, looking eerily similar to William Afton's infamous portrait.
  • The hideous grimace that Baby shows off before killing Elizabeth, not helped by how she's looking down on the camera, reminding the viewer how tall she is.
• Slasher Smile: Funtime Freddy has a child stuffed inside him in "birthdayboy.mp4." That child has a smile that will haunt your nightmares.

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