REVIEW: ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s 2’ Is A Slight Improvement, But Regresses Video Game Adaptations And Horror Movies
- Christopher Mills
- 1 minute ago
- 6 min read
Five Nights at Freddy’s is one of the few video game adaptations that has a fanbase which completely adores their franchise. The one theatrical experience with Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 has highlighted that these movies feel like event films for them despite it being the complete opposite and not giving that effect for the general audience.
The first movie didn’t offer much for newcomers, as it spent the majority of its runtime with a dull storyline, weak jump scares and good performances that only came from the kids. Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 releases 2 years later, and despite Blumhouse telling audiences they’ll be improving on the sequel by taking on the constructive criticism, this sequel lacks what any true sequel needs, and that’s a solid script with high stakes, performances that outdo the predecessor and production on a scale that highlights they’re going bolder, bigger and better. Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 only manages to get one of these aspects right for this sequel, and unfortunately, that’s not enough to consider this a movie worth watching for regular moviegoers.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 takes place a year after the events of the last movie. Abbie (Piper Rubio), Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) return as a new animatronic from Freddy Fazbear’s original location threatens to disturb their peace and enact their revenge.
The movie opens up with a flashback in 1982 as we get to witness the horrific death of Charlotte (Audrey Lynn Marie) in the original Freddy Fazbear's location. This scene easily stands out among the rest of the movie, as it gives extensive detail into the operations behind a Fazbear location and showcases William Afton (Matthew Lillard) in action as he tries to snatch a kid away during a busy day at the pizzeria. For an odd reason, Emma Tammi, Scott Cawthon and Blumhouse have decided to cater this movie solely to the fans of the game, without any consideration for the general audience.
While that's always a must with an adaptation, you must also cater for the audience that has no clue what the IP is. While the first movie lacked an engaging story and did poorly at injecting its lore into movie format, the second film does a better job of actually allowing audiences to better understand what took place within the pizzeria all those years ago and the overall world of Five Nights at Freddy's. Unfortunately, Five Nights At Freddy's 2 gets carried away with catering to its fans by leaving references around every corner and forgetting that to have a good movie, you first need at least a coherent story.
Admittedly, this movie is a lot more fun and entertaining than its predecessor, which failed in almost every aspect. Five Nights At Freddy's 2 does a decent job of at least providing general audiences with a fun time, but that's about all it provides. This sequel may be underwhelming, but just like the first movie, Jim Henson's Creature Shop deserves all the praise for their work on the animatronics. We get new sleek, metallic animatronics this time around to fit the "toy" designs of Freddy (Kellen Goff), Chica (Megan Fox), Foxy aka Mangle and Bonnie (Matthew 'MatPat' Patrick), which look magnificent during every second they appear in the film. With their inclusion also comes the "withered" versions of Freddy, Chica, Foxy and Bonnie, which were animatronics used for spare parts that look creepier than anything seen before in this franchise and truly add to the horror aspect of the movie, delivering one of the greatest scenes of the two films.
Outside of the outstanding work that Jim Henson's Creature Shop provides to this sequel and the eerie, 8-bit score that's composed by The Newton Brothers, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 doesn't offer anything else that's worth praising. The performances from our three main characters somehow feel worse than when we last got to watch them, and it's clear that it's the script and its writing which are failing them in a lot of areas. Scott Cawthon may be the creator of these games, but this movie is clear proof that sometimes, as a creator, you don't need to get closely involved in everything that involves your IP, and working from behind the scenes is better. He's not a movie writer, and it's evident from the incoherent and convoluted story, the rushed third act that doesn't feel rewarding with an anticlimactic ending, and dialogue that's beyond questionable.
There are way more jumpscares in the film, but as we know with horror movies, inserting a lot of jumpscares doesn't suddenly make a good horror film and instead makes it rather boring. There was only one instance where a jump scare might've genuinely got me, which involved the creepy Marionette, which was one of the few highlights of this movie with how it possessed people, leading them to horrifying performances by Mackenna Grace and the few others who also got possessed in the movie. Grace rarely appears in the film, but she's one of the standouts with the short screentime she has alongside Megan Fox.
If you're unfamiliar with Megan Fox's previous voice work, then quickly go watch a cutscene of Nitara speaking from Mortal Kombat 1. This abysmal voice acting led people to originally laugh at this casting, but Megan Fox is the one laughing now as she delivers a sinister performance as Toy Chica that almost carries Five Nights at Freddy's 2 but isn't anywhere near enough to trick you into believing that this is a good movie.
As mentioned previously, one of the greatest scenes from the movie comes from Mike in a security room as he tries to disable the "toy" animatronics from causing chaos on the streets while the "withered" animatronics attempt to stop him. Unlike the first movie, which just featured Mike sleeping on the job, this scene recreates the point-and-click gameplay of the early Five Nights at Freddy's games and mechanics, specifically from its second game. Yet another moment for fans to point at the screen and scream, but it's a scene that feels earned and serves a purpose in the story despite being a way to cram Easter eggs down the audience's throat.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2, while slightly better than its predecessor due to its small entertaining factor, regresses in almost every other way possible. Emma Tammi and Scott Cawthon lose sight of what makes a great horror movie and how to adapt a video game, going back on all the fantastic work that other video game adaptations have worked hard towards. The actors are left with a weak and shallow script that hinders their performances, and while Jim Henson's Creature Shop continues to deliver phenomenal work on the animatronics by bringing them to life, they're massively underutilised in the movie when it comes to delivering a hardcore scare to its audience.
The movie might be a PG-13 in America, which isn't any excuse for it to be as tame and bland as it is, but with the film having a 15 rating in the UK, it only makes the entire experience worse as you wait for gruesome kills to arrive, and they all happen off-screen with not a single spill of blood seen. There's more blood in a Marvel movie than there is in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and for a film that's about a serial killer and the dead kids who possess animatronics going on a revenge spree, there should at least be a pint of blood spilt in these movies.
Blumhouse has clear plans to continue this franchise with how the movie ends and its teases with the mid-credit scene and audio tease during the credits, but the best plan of action for this franchise is to either make them R-rated and go all out or sit back for 3-4 years, make a reboot in the form of an animated R-rated television show, and tell the story of Five Nights at Freddy's without catering to the fans with dozens of Easter eggs to keep their attention. There's a way to give the fans what they want (Sonic the Hedgehog), and this isn't it.
About Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Premiere Date:Â December 5, 2025
Writer: Scott Cawthon
Director: Emma Tammi
Production:Â Blumhouse Productions, Scott Cawthon Productions
Distribution:Â Universal Pictures
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, McKenna Grace, Kellen Goff, Megan Fox, Matthew Patrick, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Freddy Carter
