REVIEW: ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s 2’ Suffers From Middle Movie Syndrome

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, directed by Emma Tammi (Into the Dark) and written by Scott Cawthon, continues to follow Mike (Josh Hutcherson, The Beekeeper) and Abby (Piper Rubio) as the pair tries to move on with their lives after the events of the first film. However, something is lingering at Freddy’s, and it wants to punish those who hurt it. 

There was something here. I swear. For the first hour of the film, it felt like it might be able to stick a respectable landing. While a little slow, a horror film that lets the mood settle in can be well worth the price of admission if it pops off with a big finale. Sadly, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 goes out, not with a bang, but with a whimper. 

A significant portion of the movie’s opening setup delves into the events that took place at the original Freddy Fazbear’s. A time jump back to the 1980s introduces a murderous moment that sets the film’s larger plot in motion. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 sets solid enough groundwork.

This opening creates a fair amount of hope for what is to come. While not the most shocking opening kill to a horror tale, it delivers some unsettling visuals that create the sense that, even if the kills don’t go all in, the tone and discomfort of the setting may be enough to get the film to “good.” And it almost does.

As the film jumps to the 2000s, it reunites with Mike, Abby, and their friend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail, Gossip Girl), who try to go on with their lives in the wake of the traumatic incidents that haunt them. Things aren’t great, especially for Abby. As a child, she doesn’t understand what has happened or why she can’t see her “friends” anymore. 

The acting delivered by Five Nights at Freddy’s 2‘s trio of leads is acceptable. They don’t bring anything special to their roles, but they bring the emotional moments together enough for them to convey what they need to, even if they fall short of fully pulling the viewer in. 

Everything gets tidied up way too quickly.

As the situation slowly escalates, the bodies start to hit the floor as the protagonists are drawn into another potentially nightmarish scenario. The mood builds well, and the stage seems to get properly set for an extravaganza finish that could make the other, less-than-noteworthy, elements of the film pay off enough to be successful. However, it’s not meant to be. 

Just as it seems like the scenario is going to unravel, it all gets tidied up much too fast, throwing the entire film on its ear. The overwhelming confusion of the film’s final act only becomes clear in the last couple of minutes when the reasoning becomes apparent: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 only exists to set up a third entry. 

Through cryptic warnings and a final moment twist, it becomes clear that this film can’t fully deliver the big bang it feels like it could, because the third film would have nowhere to go if it did. Rather than let this narrative stand on its own, the film is kneecapped, denying it any chance of creating an enjoyable movie-watching experience. 

The abrupt ending only serves a potential sequel, not the actual movie.

The only element that can be unabashedly praised here is the lead monster. Everything about its design is unsettling. Its origins, how it looks, and even how it moves feel uncomfortably unnatural in a way I have never seen before. Half skittering, half floating, the creature is always a disturbing presence whenever it commands a scene.

While little in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 suggested it could’ve ever been great, good was well within its grasp. Sadly, an abrupt conclusion takes all the wind from its sails, leaving it to exist as little more than a stepping stone for another film. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is playing now in theaters.