Although it made a heap of cash, many were disappointed that the first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie wasn’t rated R. Neither is its sequel, but let’s be honest. These movies aren’t for the hard-R crowd. They’re for kids. Yeah, people are brutally murdered (albeit not too brutally since this is a PG-13 flick). Even so, the target demographics are eleven-year-olds who recently discovered the games and twenty-somethings who were eleven when the games originally came out. This is reflected in one scene where Piper Rubio’s Abby tells the other kids on the bus how she survived the last film. While not everyone believes her, others think she’s cool enough to sit with them at lunch.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 could’ve worked as a kids’ movie. Specifically, an ‘80s kids’ movie when studios and parents were more open to traumatizing children. Considering that this franchise is already rooted in ‘80s nostalgia, it would be a fitting direction to take the movies in. Unfortunately, these films lack the humor, terror, or self-awareness of something like Gremlins. They play more like the lesser episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Goosebumps. Like its predecessor, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is just kind of dumb, and not in a fun way.
The characters are pretty dumb, too, despite the best efforts of the blameless cast. After his last encounter with the killer animatronics, you’d think Josh Hutcherson’s Mike would’ve wised up. Rather, he ignores every blatant red flag as Abby reunites with her “friends” at the original Freddy Fazbear’s location. The practical effects are once again impressive, with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop returning. One called The Marionette provides some of the film’s most striking imagery. Just as the first film underutilized Freddy and friends, though, they’re given even less to do here, with an underwhelming body count.
You’d think a movie called Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 would have more Freddy. Instead, more focus is given to the human characters, who aren’t especially interesting. The only one given much of an arc is Elizabeth Lail’s Vanessa, who’s still tormented by memories of her father. Between having William Afton as a father and Joe Goldberg as an ex, this woman can’t get away from murderous men. While the film touches upon Vanessa’s trauma, it doesn’t go deep enough. The way Mike addresses Vanessa’s trauma only makes him more unlikable. Not as unlikable as Abby’s needlessly mean robotic teacher. The fact that Wayne Knight plays him helps, but that pesky PG-13 rating stands in the way of a satisfying death.
Other actors like Mckenna Grace, Matthew Lillard, and Freddy Carter make the most of their screen time, but they aren’t given much to do. Considering how much the first film grossed, you’d think that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 would at least up the stakes and scale. It seems like the film might, setting up a Freddy Fazbear convention with a crowd of potential victims. Alas, the third act mainly takes place at a house in one of the biggest anticlimaxes of recent memory. The ending all but assures us that Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is on the way, but if the occasional Easter egg is all it has to offer, I’m not sure that I’ll be back. Who am I kidding? I always come back.