Five Nights at Freddys 2 Review- Five Nights, One Underwhelming Sequel

When a horror film falls short of substantial storytelling, it becomes a significant critical misfire. The same happened with the sequel to 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s. 

Here is our version of Five Nights at Freddys 2 review that failed to build a compelling cinematic world, even with a visually impressive sight of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop animatronics. 

Plot details of Five Nights at Freddy’s (2025)

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 aims to delve deeper into the true origins of Freddy. Mike (played by Josh Hutcherson) had a previous employment at the pizzeria, which was a disaster, and with police officer Vanessa’s (Elizabeth Lail) help, he is trying to keep it a secret from his 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio).

Abby loves her animatronic friends and has a desire to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. She sneaks out, initiating a series of horrifying series of events. The long-hidden secrets of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza will be unveiled one year later when the town’s first-ever Fazfest happens.

Watch the trailer here:

Actor’s performances in FNAF 2 (2025)

Overall, the performances weren’t convincing enough. Hutcherson’s Mike was seen wandering aimlessly from one scene to another to fill the void where he was needed. Rubio’s Abby was the victim of her science teacher’s wrath since the robotics competition was the same day as the town-wide Fazbear festival. And Lail’s Vanessa is trying to cope with her trauma, which lacks emotional depth. 

This wasn’t expected from well-known faces, as typically strong actors like Hutcherson fell flat in high-stakes emotional scenes. It could have been due to a weak script that failed to provide depth to their skills. The lazy dialogues contributed to the underdeveloped performances.

It didn’t even do any good for the character development that might have expanded the backstory. The story seemed to be less character-driven and more on animatronics’ wacky faces. 

What do critics add to Five Nights at Freddys 2 review?

A disappointing 16 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes tells the entire story of how much of a creative mess the film is. The critics’ consensus cites,

“A step down from an already clunky original, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 goes through the motions with all the grace of a malfunctioning animatronic.” [Source]

The critics called it a “bloated film” that seemed to be only a cash-grab sequel, but it contains no real value. You are bound to sink into the unimaginable boredom every now and then; the aimless narrative wreaks the rest of the havoc, according to the critics. 

Fans’ reaction

The viewers were far more forgiving than critics, as the majority of them were huge fans of the game. They called it a “really good movie,” and without having played the game, it is difficult for casual viewers to like the movie. 

A few were not satisfied with the ending; however, the post-credits scene reignited their interest, and they are waiting for another sequel.

Is it worth watching?

I would like to agree with the audience’s views that if you haven’t played the game and are not familiar with the lore, then FNAF 2 can be a hard watch for you. And for someone like me, who hasn’t been a gaming person all my life, I didn’t like it. 

If I compare it with 2023’s FNAF, the animatronics looked better. The newly-introduced character, Marionette, was a good addition as the long-lost soul of the game was brought back. 

But the low-quality script did not justify its popularity among the fans. It looks like the film was mainly made for the game fans. Nostalgia does not always save the franchise, and here is the proof:

	IMDb	RT critics’ score	RT audience score
FNAF (2023)	5.4	33 percent	86 percent
FNAF 2 (2025)	5.2	16 percent	84 percent

Anaconda, Megan 2, and The Woman in the Yard are all PG-13 horror films released in 2025 that gained dull ratings, except for Good Boy (91 percent critics’ score) only. PG-13 horror films are often considered weak as the content has age restrictions. 

The audience thinks that the film’s true potential is missed due to the absence of explicit gore and reliance on less visceral methods of generating fear. Newer generations now often look for deeper stories and complex narratives. The simple scare formula in PG 13 horror content struggles to gain the audience’s satisfaction, unless the horror film is based on a game’s lore. This is why FNAF 2’s high viewer ratings are justified.

The oddities in the script, which is written by the game creator Scott Cawthon, made absolutely no sense. For example, one of the distracting inconsistencies lies in the scene where Mike is sitting at a computer console in search of a powerful wifi system that should shut down the animatronics. This lapse in technological authenticity undermines the film’s internal logic and breaks immersion, particularly for viewers attentive to period accuracy. 

Cawthon may be ill-equipped to write convincingly about human experiences, focusing more on salvaging the franchise than telling a meaningful story. The baseline of forced chaos quickly loses its ability to entertain. 

What we liked

• Improved animatronics design
• Marionette’s addition
• Fan service and lore expansion 
• Audience appeal among gamers
• PG-13 accessibility 

What could be better

• Weak and incoherent script
• Lack of emotional depth
• Overreliance on forced chaos
• Underdeveloped human experience
• Not beginner-friendly
• Missed horror potential

Here’s a detailed breakdown of our rating for FNAF 2 (2025):

Story/plot	3/10
Characters and acting	3/10
Direction and pacing	3/10
Visuals and cinematography	4/10
Soundtrack/score	4/10
Themes and message	2/10
Emotional impact	2/10
Creativity/originality	2/10
Rewatchability	1/10

Our rating: 4.5/10

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Is Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025) available for streaming?

Blumhouse and Universal Pictures distributed FNAF 2 (2025) (PG-13) theatrically on December 5, 2025, and it is now available to stream via rental or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.  

Genre: Supernatural horror, mystery, thriller 

IMDb rating: 5.2

Rotten Tomatoes: 16 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 84 percent on Popcornmeter

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Wayne Knight, Matthew Lillard

Director: Emma Tammi

Writers: Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback

Producers: Jason Blum, Scott Cawthon

Release date: December 5, 2025

Movie runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes 

Were you satisfied with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, or did it leave you wanting more, even a darker version? We’d love to hear from you.