“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” released on December 5th, 2025 just in time for the holiday season.
Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is the awaited sequel for fans of the FNAF franchise, however it is not without its faults.
The film follows Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and their friend Vannessa Afton (Elizabeth Lail) as they try to move on from the terrifying and traumatizing events of the first film. Notably Vannessa who is trying to move past her father William Afton’s (Matthew Lillard) control over her life. All the while Freddy’s past reawakens and takes its revenge.
This time around we visit the original Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the location that started it all. Blumhouse, Universal, and the Jim Henson Company have outdone themselves with the production of the sequel. Massive sets and lots of faithfully recreated animatronics show the care and passion put into the production, just like that of the last film.
There are lots of easter eggs and references to other parts of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise from the games to the books to even the fan created aspects, however it doesn’t make up for a bit of a lackluster plot.
Rather than adapting the game directly, this film decides to tell its own unique interpretation of “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”, however that is where a lot of the issues arise.
The film not being a prequel or following closer to the game’s story isn’t where the problems lie, although fans might knock it for doing its own thing just like the first film.
For non-fans of the franchise this movie throws a lot at you with little explanation and there are some larger pacing and structural issues all around. A slightly longer run time with more space to flesh out and explain some of these events could’ve helped especially when we get into the third act.
There are some interesting story lore choices that I feel is part of why critics are negative about this film, given its 12% score on Rotten Tomatoes; an even lower score than the last film, however long time fans have come to expect and understand some of the weird and out of left field moments and choices.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a franchise filled with weird and wacky ideas, especially in the books, but those aspects getting translated to live action might alienate quite a few who aren’t expecting it, fans and casual audiences alike.
The third act gets a bit bloated and rushed and the way the film ends leaves a lot to be desired, in both a good and bad way. If a “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” film is made (a film that the post credit scene and final credit audio message heavily tease) then I feel the ending and a lot of the issues raised in this movie might look better in hindsight and more whole, but not all of them.
Overall, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” leaves some to be desired especially if you are just a casual moviegoer, however if you are a fan of the franchise I do recommend giving it a watch even with its shortcomings.
