Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – Movie Review (2/5)

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 is out in theaters, and this sequel to the video-game-based horror movie is essentially more of the same. That also means fans of the first movie – which was a massive success – will probably be quite happy. Personally, I’m still not a big fan of either movie. Read our Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 movie review below!

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 is out in theaters worldwide. No surprise there, considering the huge success of the first movie. Maybe it’s simply because the franchise already has a built-in fanbase thanks to the video game. I’ve never played it, so I’m not one of them, which may explain a lot.

One of those fans does, however, appear in this sequel. Sadly, because I really like the actor, in a disappointingly small role. More on that later. As already stated, I’m not familiar with the game myself, which would probably have been an advantage when watching this movie. After all, the script was written by the game’s own creator.

Continue reading our Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 movie review below. It opens in U.S. theaters on December 5, 2025.

More chaos with animatronic friends (and foes)

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 jumps ahead one year from the events of the first movie. Back then, we dealt with supernatural nightmares unfolding at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza – a place full of games, pizza, and some very special animatronic creatures.

Everything that happened in the first movie has evolved into a local legend over the past year. Or even an “urban legend,” if you will. And of course, someone decides this is the perfect opportunity to hold the town’s first-ever “Fazfest” one year down the line.

This angle – turning a tragedy into PR hype – is actually quite clever. It taps right into (and subtly critiques) our cultural obsession with true crime.

The story once again centers on former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). They’ve managed to keep the truth about last year’s events hidden from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). Instead, she just misses her beloved animatronic friends and wants to get back to them.

Of course, this means it’s no surprise when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. She knows nothing about the horrors uncovered in the first film, so she isn’t scared… at least not until her actions set terrifying events into motion.

A major success… and lots of familiar faces

The first Five Nights at Freddy’s had a record-breaking $80 million opening weekend and ended up grossing nearly $300 million. So, of course, a sequel was inevitable.

And yes, it definitely looks like yet another film is coming. The ending of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – plus a mid-credits scene – makes that abundantly clear. And hey, why not keep going as long as people are buying tickets?!

I don’t find Josh Hutcherson or Piper Rubio particularly compelling as Mike and his little sister, Abby. Elizabeth Lail is solid, but the real treat is the new characters played by familiar faces who sadly get far too little screen time.

Among them are Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone), Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park, Them: The Scare), and Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters franchise, Annabelle Comes Home). The latter actor is a fan of the game and actively wanted to join the cast – a gift to the franchise that ends up grossly underused.

Skeet Ulrich (Scream, Blood) also appears, which means we technically have both key players from the very first Scream movie in this sequel. Matthew Lillard (The Life of Chuck) returns as well, though the two don’t share any scenes. So it’s more of an on-paper reunion than an on-screen one.

Watch Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in theaters

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is based on Scott Cawthon’s blockbuster game series, and he also wrote the screenplay. Returning director Emma Tammi (The Wind, Blood Moon) is also back, just like for the first movie.

Once again, it’s produced by Jason Blum (M3GAN, The Black Phone, the Halloween franchise) and Scott Cawthon. The first movie became a box-office phenomenon for Blumhouse, ending 2023 as the highest-grossing horror movie of the year. It’ll be interesting to see how this sequel performs.

Personally, I miss the days when Blumhouse would spend $5 million on a cool idea, and we’d get to see fascinating new genre talents emerge. These bigger-budget sequels often come with actors who seem noticeably less enthusiastic.

Admittedly, I enjoyed M3GAN 2.0 quite a bit, but that’s simply not the case here. The cast felt invested in that movie, while Josh Hutcherson seems strangely flat in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. It almost makes me want to semi-quote Kevin Kline in In & Out and say, “He was under contract.” Though maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part.

All that said, I do think fans of the first movie (and especially fans of the game) will be entertained. And genre fans should absolutely support horror releases in theaters. If you’re curious, give it a try. Hardcore horror fans won’t find much terror here, but teenagers are likely to have a blast.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 premieres in theaters on December 5, 2025.

Details

Director: Emma Tammi
Writers: Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, Emma Tammi
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Freddy Carter, Theodus Crane, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard