In 2023, the film adaptation of the hit video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s was released in cinemas and received mixed reviews. Fans of the games mostly despised it, while those unfamiliar with the franchise saw potential, but everyone agreed that it felt too tame for a horror movie.

Despite the negative feedback, it was still a commercial success, and a sequel was greenlit, even if there was no real demand for it. Even with expectations low, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 looks to right those wrongs and is now creeping into cinemas worldwide.

One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first-ever Fazfest.

Former security guard Mike and police officer Vanessa have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby, concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it sets in motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades.

Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, and Elizabeth Lail reprise their roles of Mike Schmidt, Abby Schmidt, and Vanessa Shelly, respectively. The original film sets up an interesting premise for the three main characters, but overall, it doesn’t do anything groundbreaking for them. Abby is the most interesting and has the most character development, as she has the potential to make real friends at school, but she only wants Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.

The film teases some romance between Mike and Vanessa, but doesn’t go much deeper after they’re confronted by their pasts. Mike investigates more about the history of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and Vanessa’s flashbacks indicate that she may have a deeper connection than she leads on, and, along with the events of the first movie, cause her to suffer PTSD. Meanwhile, Abby is struggling in science because her teacher is biased against her, which makes her miss her animatronic friends even more.

There are many stories and subplots crammed into the film, which can cause confusion about what’s happening. There are a lot of Easter Eggs referencing the games throughout the film that fans may enjoy, but it seems to rely on them too much to please diehard fans.

Not sure if Easter Egg Bait is a real term or not, but this film would be the perfect example of it, like it’s trying to cover up its faults. They are indeed fun to see, but too much of a good thing can be bad.

Because of all the confusing elements, it’s hard to care about the main characters for the most part. Their performances, as good as they can be with what they were given, don’t have many standout moments.

The better moments they do get are fun, but they don’t make the film any more exciting. The plot twists also suffer because of this, as they’re kind of already given away or made too obvious earlier in the film, leaving them underwhelming. They’re the kind of moments that would just get a deadpan reaction from the audience, and waiting for the film to finally wrap up.

The best moments of the course feature the animatronics Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, along with some new faces. One of the biggest criticisms of the original film was that it avoided showing the kill scenes, with many of them teased before the actual death happens off-screen or in the shadows.

Unfortunately, that same problem persists in the sequel, teasing an exciting kill scene before it happens off-screen. The most you’ll see is a character’s body being pulled away while they scream in agony. There are more jump scares in the sequel that may scare some viewers, but for horror enthusiasts, they end up being predictable and underwhelming. It’s also odd that the mascots have heavy footsteps yet can sneak up on their victims without making a sound.

One of the better scenes references the overall gameplay of earlier games, with Mike trying to do something on a computer to save lives while checking his surroundings for potential threats. This feels like a scene that should’ve happened in the first film, rather than Mike purposely falling asleep on the job and defeating the purpose of the games.

Just like the first movie, the film uses life-sized animatronics for Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy made at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, founded in 1979 by the late great Jim Henson, famous for creating the Muppets in Sesame Street, amongst many others.

Some CGI was used for the film when necessary, but seeing real animatronics with stiff robotic movements adds so much to their creepy characteristics. Their designs feel like they were taken straight from the games and are another example of their amazing craftsmanship at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

The fictional restaurant in the first film was incredibly well-made, showing what it looked like during its golden years and how it appeared in the present day, abandoned, rundown, and covered in dust and cobwebs.

That same restaurant is featured in the sequel as well as glimpses of a few others, but mainly the original Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza that started it all, which provides a whole new place to explore. Seeing an abandoned Pizzeria and family entertainment centre that looks fun and welcoming, yet creepy and haunting, is what gives the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise its unique identity.

It’s clear to see the passion that went into making this film with the set pieces, using practical effects with life-sized animatronics, and all the Easter eggs referencing the games, but none of that is anywhere near enough to make the film worth watching.

Once again, it holds back on the violence too much, which is something that can be done well, but both Five Nights at Freddy’s films aren’t the best examples of it. The story elements and overabundance of subplots make it hard to care for the main characters, and the plot twists are obvious and underwhelming.

A third film is being teased, though nothing is confirmed as of yet. It all depends on the pending success of this sequel, but at this point, no one seems excited for the possibility of another film. The original Five Nights at Freddy’s film from 2023 already set the bar low, and the sequel, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, drags that bar even lower.

Written by: Sammy Hanson