Review: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 Relies Too Much on Frustrating Video Game Logic

It’s been two years since the first Five Nights at Freddy’s took the world by storm. Though a middling film that was broadly eviscerated by critics, diehard fans of the video game franchise were elated to see their beloved animatronics come to life and a few critics ultimately went to bat for the final product. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to see anyone doing so for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

Gateway horror is essential to the survival of the genre regardless of how some folks may feel about PG-13 scares, but the issues with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 have nothing to do with its rating. Game creator Scott Cawthon—who took over sole writing duties in the sequel after co-writing the first film with Seth Cuddeback and director Emma Tammi—delivers one of the sloppier screenplays of the year, relying on video game logic to propel the film’s narrative and displaying an utter lack of faith in the intelligence of his young viewers. 

The story here picks up shortly after the first film, with Abby (Piper Rubio), Mike (Josh Hutcherson), and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) still dealing with the fallout of William Afton’s (Matthew Lillard) schemes. Abby misses her animatronic friends, Vanessa keeps seeing her father, and Mike is… there for protagonist reasons, I suppose. Broadly speaking, it’s impossible for any of them to have a meaningful arc because Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 does not have a third act. But on a granular level, the film’s sins go much deeper than that.

Video game logic is a cornerstone of the second film, illustrating how little Cawthon is interested in adapting to the medium he’s playing with here. These moments range from absurd to innocuous, with characters falling into water and staying in it for no reason other than that’s what the game’s cut-scene would demand; conveniently placed walkie-talkies that are all but called out with dialogue that is dangerously close to “look at these convenient walkie-talkies;” and meeting a side character to pick up an item that you simply cannot beat the final boss without. 

In conjunction with having seemingly little interest in adapting to a new medium, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is also completely disinterested in playing within the confines of its rating. There are great PG-13 horror films (The Ring, Happy Death Day, Tremors, and so many more), but they all achieve greatness because they understand their sandbox. For example, all of them know better than to have a child get stabbed in the back three times, then turn around for all to see meager blotches of blood on their shirt that completely pull away from the gravity of the moment. Just like Cawthon should have known better than to write in a Black character whose sole function is to be the funny best friend in the Year of Our Lady 2025. But hey, they allowed it in the first film, so why change our reliance on crappy tropes now? 

Of all of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’s sins—outside of putting an apostrophe in the title and making the start of this sentence look absurd—its lack of faith in its audience’s intelligence is the most frustrating. Kids are smart. There is no need for the script to be written as if it was meant to be second screen viewing or to talk down to them about real friends or death. 

The script playing out as if it were written with the intent for people to be able to pause and look up a game guide while viewing bleeds through into the performances, with nearly all of them feeling wooden. Meanwhile, the digital effects meant to amplify some of Five Nights At Freddy’s 2’s scariest scenes look as if the actor is simply using a Snapchat filter to shoot a reel. The Marionette’s introduction is spooky enough while she’s practical, but the second the film goes the possession route, it’s hard not to laugh at the way any of her victims look while under her control. Given how much money the first Five Nights at Freddy’s made at the box office, there is absolutely no question that they could have afforded a makeup artist here. 

The film’s sole saving grace is the Newton Brothers’ score. Tammi does her best with what she’s given, of course, but you know what they say about slapping lipstick on a pig. The music isn’t enough to achieve any real emotion alongside the lazy writing and the dead-eyed performances, of course, but it’s worth listening to on its own. That’s more than can be said about literally any other aspect of this film.

As if trying to one-up its own flaws, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 ends abruptly at the close of the second act. After all, why bother with giving your narrative a conclusion when you know that your fans will show up for you regardless of the quality of what you put out? There’s no need for a climax when you can end awkwardly and then deliver a mid-credits scene that tells you why you need to show up for the next movie. No, no, never mind that this one wasn’t finished! Look at what we’re bringing you in two to five years! 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 may not be the worst movie of the year, but it’s certainly in the running for most insulting. It has no interest in being a film, is disinterested by the confines of its own rating, shows utter disdain for its medium, and uses all of its infuriating qualities to trap its actors in some of their worst performances. I might not be a fan of producer overreach, but here’s hoping someone makes the right call and insists that there be co-writers on the inevitable Five Nights at Freddy’s 3.

Movie Score: 1.5/5