Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is a head-scratcher. Due to the popularity of the game series, the target audience is certainly niche, but there is a high “tween” draw. Kids went in mass to see the first film and will follow suit for this sequel. With part 2, there is a more gruesome and mean-spirited slant. The picture contains a few more adult-themed scares that may keep younger kids up for days. It is strange that the filmmakers would take the darker route, knowing the high portion of kids that will be attending. This is the least of the film’s issues.

Based upon the game that became a phenomenon, this second entry follows the entertaining Five Nights at Freddy’s; a hit with gamers and audiences when it was released in October of 2023. While not a great film, Scott Cawthon (the creator of the original game) crafted a decent-enough story to start his haunted anthropomorphic creatures’ ascent to movie stardom. Four writers helped Cawthon shape part one. Director Emma Tammi (who returns to helm the sequel), Seth Cuddeback, Chris Lee Hill, and Tyler MacIntyre banded together on the screenplay. That many scribes should have produced something stronger, but Freddy Fazzbear’s inaugural movie was pretty fun.

Cawthon decided to go it alone on this one, taking sole credit (Responsibility? Blame?). One must marvel at how the creator of a unique and multifaceted world can completely botch a story based on his own creation. 

The main cast returns, as we reconnect with former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson, looking as if he has been frozen in carbonite), police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail, searching hard for an emotion) and Abby (Piper Rubio), Mike’s 11 year old sister. Mike is repainting the house while Vanessa is having nightmares about her dead dad (Matthew Lillard, as the psycho child-killer who started it all). Everyone is trying to put the nightmare events of the first film behind them while Abby’s every waking moment is spent hoping to reunite with her animatronic buddies, Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy. They may have come to life because of horrible death and murder, but hey, can’t we put all of this behind us and just hang out?

Abby is hoping her science project will help her school take top prize at the science fair. Can you guess what she is building? An animatronic figure! (You knew.) 

Her asshat science teacher (an embarrassing Wayne Knight) seems to hate Abby and most children. Ol’ Teach doesn’t think she can win so he tries to discourage her participation, going so far as to “accidentally” drop her creation. Everyone sees it happen. No one steps in. Based on the way ALL adults in this movie treat kids, I side with the creatures. An Abby sneaks into the rundown Freddy Fazzbear’s Pizza, hoping to reconnect with her old otherworldly chums and unwittingly opens the door to a new terror.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 serves up a good deal of fan service. There are many characters from the game series that finally get a chance at big screen glory. Unfortunately, all of this comes at a high cost. Logic is the biggest casualty. You can almost hear Cawthon on his computer. “I should’ve had these guys in the first one. I’ll throw them in here, but why? Who cares? Fans will cheer at their mere presence!” There are many Easter eggs (for knowledgeable fans) but no plot threads to tether them to story or interest. Cawthon’s script is cobbled together from half-baked ideas with only the slightest narrative thread. In trying to please his fans, the writer has disrespected their years of dedication.

As far as the creatures (once again by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop), they are pretty fantastic. The one bright spot in this sequel comes in the form of The Marionette, an undeniably creepy creation with elongated arms that looks as if it came out of an Asian horror movie nightmare. When it is revealed, the moment is so effective that it gives one hope. Unfortunately, hope dies quickly, as Cawthon has no clue what to do with the creature. 

Another major problem is the sound design. There are so many jump scares telegraphed so loudly, that it will feel as if you just left a Slayer concert. Zero attempt is given towards creating any type of atmosphere. It’s all sound department employees slamming their entire arms on the soundboards over and over. In the first sound crew staff meeting, the director probably said, “This film goes to 11.”

The whole travesty is a big “so what?”

“Hey, we brought Lillard back!”

“So what? You didn’t use him.”

“Hey, The Newton Brothers are returning to do the score!”

“So what? They just rehash themes from the first film.”

“But our cool cameo and our incredible creature work and there’s more monsters…”

“So. What.”

The stage is set for a third entry and there will probably be more after that. To all FNAF fans young and old, my fingers are crossed for you.

From the stilted dialogue to the comatose performances, on through a ridiculous cameo, an unnecessary side character, and up to a final “battle” that is as lackluster as it is absurd, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is an absolute disaster.

 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Written by Scott Cawthon
Directed by Emma Tammi

Starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, Freddy Carter

PG-13, 104 Minutes, Blumhouse productions, Universal Pictures, Scott Cathon Productions