Anyone can survive five nights. This time, there will be no second chances.
Before attending the press screening for “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” I made it a point to watch the original film at home. Unfortunately, the first installment left much to be desired. While it is based on a popular video game series, familiarity with the source material is hardly necessary to sense the adaptation’s shortcomings. The film struggled to evoke any genuine fear, relying instead on predictable plots and an overabundance of superficial scares. Although the sequel marks an improvement, it is only marginally so. With Emma Tammi returning as director and the original cast reprising their roles, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” largely rehashes the material from the first film, albeit with a handful of changes.
Set one year after the events of the first movie, the narrative follows Abby (Piper Rubio), her brother Mike (Josh Hutcherson), and his girlfriend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) as they try to piece their lives back together. Abby finds herself especially adrift, missing the friends she lost—spirits of children murdered by their original creator, William Afton (Matthew Lillard). In her effort to reconnect, Abby visits the now-neglected Freddy’s location, hoping to repair the animatronic characters, only to realize some things cannot be fixed. Mike, observing his sister’s struggle, sees just how deeply she longs for those paranormal friendships. Abby later obtains a FazTalker, a toy reminiscent of the Speak & Spell, using it in hopes of reaching the spirits trapped within the animatronics.
The story also delves into Vanessa’s past. As a child, she frequented Freddy’s and was close friends with Charlotte (Audrey Lynn-Marie). In a tragic turn, Charlotte sacrificed herself to save another child from Afton, leaving her own final moments colored by anger at the indifference of the adults around her. In the present, Charlotte returns as Marionette, an eerie animatronic resembling a Kabuki-style marionette. Marionette, adopting the guise of one of the original children, manipulates Abby into helping her free the animatronics, triggering a vengeance-driven campaign against the adults.
Despite being an advance on the original, this sequel offers nothing new to the horror genre. Rated PG-13, it hints at inventive scenarios but rarely delivers on their potential. One gets the sense that had both films embraced an R-rating, they could have capitalized on their grisly premise—something that would have appealed to horror enthusiasts seeking a more intense experience.
The first film, released in 2023, was a commercial triumph, grossing $297.1 million worldwide on a $20 million budget—Blumhouse’s most successful film internationally at the time. Still, both films only flirt with edginess, never fully committing. Their horror setups are apparent, but the restraint imposed by a PG-13 rating leaves much to be desired.
Among the cast, Piper Rubio and Elizabeth Lail are notable for their convincing performances, with Lail channeling a young Monica Potter. Josh Hutcherson, on the other hand, seems perpetually bewildered, rarely displaying the emotional range the role demands—a distraction that undermines the film’s emotional impact.
Director Emma Tammi’s approach results in a sequel that is, regrettably, both uninspired and stagnant. The film’s setting and premise hold real promise for compelling horror, yet Tammi leans heavily on genre clichés: repetitive jump scares, characters inexplicably splitting up, and the classic “investigating a strange noise alone” scenario. For fans of the original video game series, the film may hold some appeal. For others, it is, at best, a mild recommendation. The ending unmistakably sets up a third installment—whether this prospect is welcome will likely depend on one’s investment in the franchise. There is also a mid-credits scene to stay for, though it offers little in the way of excitement, catering mainly to devotees of the series.
In Theaters Friday, December 5th
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