Story and tone

The new film Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is primarily aimed at viewers who enjoyed the original as a charming horror film with drama and atmosphere, even if it was far from a masterpiece. But there’s a problem: the sequel looks like it was made on autopilot.

The animatronics are once again magnificent, and the nostalgia for the pizzeria works, but everything related to the plot and narrative falls apart before our eyes.

The focus is once again on Mike Schmidt and his younger sister Abby. They are taken to Freddy Fazbear’s old restaurant, where William Affton began his bloody career.

The main new monster is the Doll. The soul of the bravest victim, Charlotte, is inside a tall black and white figure. The Doll can be a scary figure appearing in a dark hallway, like the animatronics in the first game.

In the movie, it turns into a strange doll that is possessed and looks more like a cheap toy than a real threat in the FNAF universe.

Visual imagination

The animatronics are simply magnificent. Toy Freddy and the others look like they came straight out of the nightmares of children sleeping in a pizza restaurant with flashing lights.

They are huge and very heavy—you can feel their details and weight when they turn their heads. For this, we want to thank the special effects artists.

A separate issue is the visual processing of the image. When a doll controls a person, funny “demonic” distortions appear on their faces, as if it were a bad filter from an old app. This may be normal in a game, but on screen it ruins the mood.

Music and sound

The music is great, too. The Newton Brothers score is a medley of 8-bit sounds, children’s songs and a dark background. It sometimes feels like you’re not in a movie theater, you’re in the menu of a new Five Nights at Freddy’s game, about to hit “New Game” and everything going wrong. This is one of the very few times the film actually captures the feeling of the original.

Themes

However, the plot has serious problems. Scott Cawthon wrote the script himself and followed the original FNAF 2 game very closely. He did not change the plot much for the film.

As a result, the plot is not clear, but rather a set of references. Fans can choose what they like, but most viewers are left wondering, “Why are the actors acting so strangely and what is going on?” The film gives no clues, but simply dumps a bunch of information on the viewer.

The same goes for horror movies. The film tries to seem scarier than the first part, but does so in the simplest way possible: screams, screams, and more screams.

The characters are constantly being attacked, the lights go out, someone suddenly appears behind them. At some point, you stop being scared and start counting how many seconds will pass before you hear another loud bang.

When compared to games such as Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic, Outlast, or Resident Evil, the difference becomes particularly noticeable.

In these games, the scream is the final blow to your nerves after a long, drawn-out build-up of tension. There, you press the buttons yourself, hide in closets, and breathe into the microphone out of fear.
In the film, you just passively watch the characters, waiting for the next “boo!” — and you hardly participate in what’s happening.

The first film attempted to tell a truthful story about trauma, guilt, and acceptance. The sequel assumes that viewers are only interested in legends and Easter eggs. So while the film does touch on some serious themes, such as the loss of childhood, guilt, and toxic adults, it never really explores them.

Pros

• Strong practical animatronics with real weight and presence.
• Effective nostalgia tied to the pizzeria and classic characters.
• Solid sound design and music that reflect the game atmosphere.
• Numerous visual references for longtime fans of the franchise.

Cons

• Weak and confusing storytelling overloaded with lore.
• Overuse of repetitive jump scares instead of real tension.
• The Puppet is poorly presented and lacks threat.
• Serious themes are introduced but never fully developed.
• The ending feels incomplete and more like a setup for sequels.

Final Verdict

The ending is really confusing. There is barely any definite ending. At one point, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, instead of having a good end, leaves you with a long teaser for another game. The tension does not grow; the ending does not give a strong emotional impact.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 was created to expand the well-known brand, add some new animatronics that fans like, and develop the plot. As a standalone film, it is not very successful, which disappoints viewers.