I liked the premise and story of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s and looked forward to what more the franchise would provide. I went to the sequel with an open mind and found that just like the first movie, I loved the characters and the story, especially the spooky elements. But while this is a fun sequel, it is an incomplete story mostly due to it being set up for the next movie. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is a supernatural horror film based on the video game series of the same name and is a direct sequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s. The film is directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon. In the film, it is a year after the events of the first movie and Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) and his niece Abby (Piper Rubio) are recovering along with Vanessa Shelly (Elizabeth Lail). With the help of his former co-worker and friend Jeremiah (Theodus Crane), Mike has moved into a new house with Abby. Abby misses her animatronic friends, however, and Mike has to tell her he can’t fix them. This leads to the revelation of knowledge of the original Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria where William Afton (Matthew Lillard) started his reign of terror and is now maintained by a security guard (Freddy Carter). Abby visits the location without Mike’s knowledge and when he and Vanessa find out, they must find a way to stop new animatronics from killing the townspeople and harming Abby. But in doing so, secrets Vanessa has kept hidden emerge causing a rift between her and Mike. Will they resolve their friendship and save Abby in time? The film also stars Skeet Ulrich and Wayne Knight.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is similar to the first film in that it wasn’t really that scary to me. It does seem to stay true to the elements fans like from the games and I definitely like the spooky ghost animatronic creations. What makes the story compelling are the relationships. I like the dynamic between Mike and his younger sister Abby. They’ve grown the relationship from the first film in that now the pair talk out issues and even though Abby doesn’t always feel Mike listens to her, the pair have bonded more. I also found the relationship between Mike and Vanessa intriguing. There is clearly a romantic element to their friendship but Mike wants to fix Vanessa and Vanessa hasn’t trusted Mike with all of the truth. The trust issues between them lead to conflict and that drama adds to the tension in the story. 

The animatronic creations are just as well built as the previous movie. While they don’t really engender fear in me, I do like how creepy the robots are, especially when they get free of the restaurant and descend on the town. While there are some spooky moments, especially in Vanessa’s dreams about her father and a new creation, the Mannequin, what makes the creations so interesting is how they move and perform. 

As I mentioned, I didn’t find the film that scary. While there are some scenes where people are terrorized and there is blood, it is very direct with the story and predictable what will happen when the robots head to town. Interestingly enough, I find the blend of humor with the spooky elements more interesting. The humor is funny and it lessens the frightening moments, which may actually be why the film isn’t scarier, because the humorous moments deflect from the scarier scenes.

The performances are quite good. Josh Hutcherson is excellent as Mike Schmidt, although this film is more focused on Abby this time around. I do like his dynamic with both Piper Rubio who plays Abby and Elizabeth Lail who plays Vanessa. The relationships feel authentic and caring. Elizabeth Lail has a great chemistry with Abby as well as the character of Vanessa has gotten close to Abby and understands what she’s gone through. Piper Rubio shines in this film. She is funny, warm and I love how she portrays Abby’s willingness to keep trying even when she is struggling. She is the highlight of the film, especially when she is interacting with her beloved animatronics. Matthew Lillard is creepy as William Afton and so too is Freddy Carter as the security guard for the original Freddy Fozbear’s. Wayne Knight is excellent as Abby’s science teacher playing the character as easy to dislike. Theodus Crane as Jeremiah plays his character perfectly. Skeet Ulrich has a small part but portrays his part beautifully. 

What the film lacks is some of the same issues as the first movie. It lacks any real fear factor, the scary moments are predictable although some scenes are a bit spookier than the first movie. I do like the Mannequin, it adds an interesting premise and a recurring character for the next film. But what the film really lacks is a complete story. The film is clearly a set up for another movie and it has a very open ending that leaves matters unresolved. Without a solid ending, I’m left feeling like there should be more to the movie. Despite the ending, I do like the spooky ghost elements and the character dynamics. 

If you like the first Five Nights at Freddy’s, you will likely like the sequel, especially if you are a fan of the video game. It also has some horror movie references that are very clever and interesting for viewers to figure out. While it is a fun sequel, it feels incomplete. But the character dynamics and spooky ghosts are compelling. The acting of Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio and Elizabeth Lail are quite good, Piper Rubio is the absolute star of this film. I like the movie for all the supernatural elements and the characters.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 music boxes. 

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