Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Review: A Few Scares Can’t Save This BloFive Nights At Freddy’s 2 Review: A Few Scares Can’t Save This Bloated Mess Of A Sequelated Mess Of A Sequel

by

It’s fascinating to watch how movie studios react when a film that critics don’t like actually makes a lot of money. The first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie wasn’t very engaging for those unfamiliar with the video game, but it became Blumhouse’s most successful film ever, even though it was released on streaming services at the same time. So, a sequel was bound to happen – and it gives the filmmakers a chance to try a new approach.

Okay, so Five Nights at Freddy’s 2… it definitely tries to do a lot more. I appreciate the ambition, and it looks better, no question. But honestly, it’s kind of a mess. It swaps out the simple, effective creepiness of the first game for a bunch of confusing stuff. It builds up this whole world, but instead of making things scarier, it just feels… smaller. It’ll build some tension, and then just throws it away to focus on expanding lore that doesn’t really add anything.

Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Drowns In Its Own Lore

Trying to explain what happens in this movie is tough because it’s so complicated. Mike, Abby, and Vanessa are all trying to move on after the scary events of the first film, and it’s been easiest for Mike, now that he’s finally figured out what happened to his brother. Abby is doing okay at school, but she misses her ghostly friends. Mike tells her the robots that used to be her friends are broken and promises to fix them, but he’s not being completely honest. Vanessa has healed physically after facing her dangerous father, but she’s still deeply affected by the trauma. In a particularly strong scene, she even tries to deal with her fears by confronting them in her dreams, just like Mike does.

However, events from the past are about to come back to haunt the present. The story begins with a flashback to the original Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in the 1980s, establishing that the location from the first movie was just one of many. This particular restaurant featured a unique, tall and slender animatronic called the Marionette, which could control the other animatronics during shows. After a young girl named Charlotte tragically died there, the restaurant was forced to close. Now, twenty years later, her spirit is awakening and, when her vengeful plans cross paths with Abby, our heroes are once again facing a deadly threat.

Okay, so this movie feels like a really condensed version of the FNAF 2 story, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mess. They throw in a bunch of extra stuff – Abby’s robotics competition, a suspicious security guard, even Skeet Ulrich as Charlotte’s dad – and it just feels…cluttered. It doesn’t feel like a carefully woven story, more like they were determined to cram everything in, regardless of how it flowed. We get a lot of cryptic dialogue, but not enough development of key characters like Charlotte – her motivations especially feel really underdeveloped and rushed. It’s frustrating because there’s potential here, but it’s buried under too much unnecessary detail.

The animatronics are hit or miss when it comes to being scary. The Marionette is definitely effective, with a smart design and well-timed jump scares. While the returning characters and new ones benefit from updated technology and the new location, they mostly just come across as slow and clunky, which isn’t frightening—especially when they’re not inside the pizzeria. In some scenes, they aren’t scary at all, making it hard to feel tense, even during violent moments.

Like the first movie, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hints at what it could have been. Recognizing the young fans of the games, the sequel includes a plot point where Freddy’s popularity is experiencing a comeback, with news about Mike and Abby’s experiences appearing in the media. Initially, this sets up an interesting scenario – a costumed event called Fazfest – where the children’s enthusiasm for Freddy’s makes them vulnerable. However, this promising storyline is unfortunately abandoned in favor of focusing on more obvious references and hidden details.

Beyond a handful of genuinely scary scenes, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn’t offer much for viewers hoping for more than just backstory for the game. The dialogue feels unnatural and the acting is noticeably worse than in the first film. The movie struggles to balance horror and humor, and the direction feels surprisingly slow and misses opportunities to deliver on basic horror elements.

By the end of the movie, with so much happening, I’d completely lost interest. Hopefully, the next installment will be better.

Read More

2025-12-04 18:28