Film Review – Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)

      Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, 2025.

      Directed by Emma Tammi.

      Starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, Teo Briones, Freddy Carter, Kellen Goff, and Megan Fox.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A year after the eerie events at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the real stories have morphed into a quirky local legend, leading to the town's inaugural Fazfest. Abby, unaware of the truth behind the past, sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, triggering a horrifying series of events that will uncover dark secrets about the origins of Freddy’s and unleash a long-buried terror that has remained hidden for decades.

      The plot of Scott Cawthon’s successful game series, Five Nights at Freddy’s, already faces limitations for a film adaptation. At least the original movie (which failed to impress, notwithstanding any praise as a “gateway horror” for younger audiences) unfolded over five nights. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, returning director Emma Tammi grapples with the aftermath in a sequel that seems mostly devoid of direction apart from cramming in lore connections, presumed key items from the games, perplexing character twists, and another murderous tale—this time concerning the original Freddy Fazbear pizzeria.

      As young Abby (Piper Rubio) misses her misunderstood, murderous animatronic companions (who were revealed to harbor the souls of children killed by pizza franchise owner William Afton, portrayed by Matthew Lillard, who makes a brief return in an entirely unnecessary nightmare sequence meant solely for a cameo to excite diehard fans), and her older brother and guardian Mike (Josh Hutcherson) begins dating Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), there's little substance to explore with these characters apart from generic narratives about struggling to move forward. Intriguingly, Abby doesn't seem traumatized by the first film's events; she finds amusement in recounting her dangerous experiences to her classmates, who largely view her as odd. Even Mr. Berg, the robotics teacher (played by a somewhat amusing Wayne Knight), holds a grudge against her for her eccentricities.

      Despite being marketed as a horror movie, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 unfolds as a lackluster drama with a hint of mystery, dragging on to the point of prompting thoughts about whether this pizzeria chain resembles Pizza Hut, with one available every ten minutes of driving. And please, refrain from sending corrections regarding the number of such pizzerias; it’s irrelevant. The aim is to highlight how dull these films truly are.

      After establishing the death of a young girl at the original pizzeria in the early 1980s (involving a marionette), this sequel—written solely by Scott Cawthon—introduces a ghost-hunting team led by Mckenna Grace (who is having a very busy year) seemingly present just to be killed off, albeit in disappointingly bloodless, family-friendly ways, providing audiences with a taste of alleged horror. However, Emma Tammi seems unable to create real scares; her go-to tactics comprise cheap jump scares, animatronics moving toward the screen, and characters falling into an underground cove's moat.

      Meanwhile, Mike, uncertain about how to address Abby's unique grief, takes her to the charred remains of the pizzeria where the first film's events transpired, hoping to find closure. There, she discovers and takes home a Fazbear talking device, which begins to relay messages—though they may not be from the animatronics or the souls she once saved who now protect her. For some inexplicable reason, there’s also a Fazbear Festival scheduled, because what would be more festive than celebrating murdered children from various pizzeria locations?

      There’s a fleeting moment when Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 approaches being entertaining, as Abby brings a special guest to her science fair. The potential for chaos here is nearly limitless, yet the film only produces a mediocre kill that mainly succeeds due to a dark punchline (a type of humor these movies greatly need more of). With Mike also back at the pizzeria, it temporarily transforms into something resembling the games, which does work. However, therein lies the issue: it only works for about five minutes because these video games aren’t well-suited for other mediums, particularly film.

      From that point, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 becomes increasingly nonsensical, introducing a music box that Mike humorously draws and wields like a gun. Surprising as it may be, that’s not even the most ludicrous aspect here. This situation arises when there's no substantial story to tell apart from cramming in as much fan service as possible, merely to prepare for a third installment filled with even more baffling absurdity.

      Flickering Myth Rating –