Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 review: This boilerplate sequel should be more funny and more frightening

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A star rating of 2 out of 5.

A common trope in horror movies is that when a character is “left for dead,” the important part isn’t that they died, but that they were left. We see this repeatedly with iconic villains like Michael Myers from Halloween and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, who always manage to come back.

The movie ends in a way that easily allows for sequels, and given that the first film earned almost $300 million worldwide, another installment was practically guaranteed.

Despite receiving mixed to negative reviews – many criticized it for straying from the more intense source video game and having a needlessly complicated story – the movie still appealed to audiences. While it included more graphic action than previous installments, attempting to address concerns about toned-down violence, the plot became even more confusing, jumping around randomly like it was written by someone easily distracted.

The villains – Freddy and his creepy, robotic friends from the rundown pizzeria – are back. Though they were shut down or taken apart at the end of the last story, someone or something has brought these terrifying toys back to life.

The creepy forces are back, once again drawing in the main characters: kind security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson), his smart little sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and brave police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). They haven’t really learned from their past experiences – Vanessa even bears a physical scar – after fighting robots controlled by lost children.

It’s amazing to see how much Freddy’s has captured everyone’s imagination a year later! Everywhere you look, people are into it – kids are dressing up as characters for Halloween, it’s inspiring school projects, and even a team of young paranormal investigators are getting involved. I was especially excited to see McKenna Grace, who I loved in the new Ghostbusters films, leading the group – they even have a cool van that reminds me of Scooby-Doo! It’s clear this story has really resonated with people, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

As a huge fan of these films, I was really intrigued by the introduction of The Marionette – a new villain pulled from the game series. Honestly, the design is a bit too close to something Tim Burton would create, but it’s genuinely creepy! My biggest frustration, though, is that they don’t use this character nearly enough. It feels like a missed opportunity!

The biggest problem with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is that director Emma Tammi and writer Scott Cawthon (who also created the original game) don’t let scenes breathe, leaving the story feeling disjointed and lacking a clear direction.

The story introduces several characters early on, but some vanish for a while, only to reappear much later. Because these characters aren’t developed much at first, viewers might forget who they are by the time they return – a problem especially when one of them turns out to be central to the unfolding chaos.

Sometimes, the scary parts feel predictable and cliché – like the story relies on tired horror tropes instead of genuinely building tension. You’ve seen it all before, such as the endless dark hallway in every small-town house.

Wayne Knight, a new addition to the show, delivers a surprisingly strong performance as Abby’s demanding science teacher. He makes the most of his limited screen time, something the main actors struggle with, likely due to the show’s awkward and unnatural dialogue – for example, Mike awkwardly telling Vanessa she needs to resolve issues with their father to move on.

While Scott Cawthon is technically skilled, his writing isn’t his strongest suit. It comes across as a bit self-satisfied when his character, Mike, frustrated with the pizzeria’s computer system, asks, “What kind of idiot designed this place?”

Despite having a setup that could easily lend itself to comedy, and villains who seem designed for it, both Freddy’s 2 and the first Nightmare on Elm Street are surprisingly serious. Any humor is mostly limited to quick visual jokes or brief references to the original film.

The movie needed to be both funnier and scarier, and everyone working on it needed to put more energy into it, considering it started as a video game. Hopefully, any future installments will be much more engaging and satisfying.

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2025-12-04 13:34