Freddy is back and scarier than ever… But not in the way you might think.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” premiered in theatres on Dec. 5, 2025, and is the long-awaited sequel to the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie that came out in 2023. The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game franchise has been around for over ten years and has gained a cult following since. With spinoff games, merchandise, books, and more, a motion picture seemed inevitable.

While the first film received mediocre reviews from critics, the fans of the game franchise enjoyed it. It also performed exceptionally well at the box office, earning over $300 million worldwide with a $30 million budget.

The second film promised to improve flaws from the first. The main piece of feedback from fans was that the movie was not scary enough, as its source material is a horror game.

I went into the movies with high expectations. I didn’t expect it to be a “good” film; I just wanted it to be thrilling, scary, and a good time like the first one was. In part, those wants were satisfied, but just barely. I can agree that the first film is objectively “bad.” I mean, if you haven’t played any of the games, the plot wouldn’t really make sense to you, and many of the references would fly over your head. This is amplified in the second film. I’ve been a diehard fan of the series since the first game came out in 2014, and even I didn’t understand what was going on in the movie. Without running into any spoilers, I’ll just say that the film was a mess. There were about five different plot lines going on at once, and most of the plots seemingly led to dead ends. 

I will say there were plenty of awesome references to the games. The animatronic costumes and practical effects were also stunning – almost 100% accurate to the games. The film was also slightly scarier as well. There were one or two jumpscares that made me jump out of my seat. A good service to the fans. Besides that, the rest of the film was a nothing burger. The “toy” animatronics on their own were not scary. They tried to act as friends for Abby Schmidt (played by Piper Rubio), which was fine, but when they partook in everyday or childish activities, it took the fear aspect away from them. The giant metal death robots didn’t seem as scary when they were coloring with a little kid or riding in the back of a taxi.

The ending of the film was unsatisfying. The film didn’t even seem like it had a third act in the first place. Most of the time was just spent putting pieces together to build to the finale. The issue is that there was no real climax in the finale. No big moment. It just plateaued and then ended by setting up the third film.

I’m not going to say you shouldn’t watch this film. I think it is still worth seeing for yourself if you’re a Five Nights at Freddy’s fan. If not, I wouldn’t bother.

If you disagree with my opinions on the film, I encourage you to leave a comment down below or reach out to me on Instagram @anthonyciuffo_broadcasting. I’m curious to see what you thought of the film as well!