The Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 movie was released, with many mixed reviews, on Dec. 5.
For context, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (FNaF 2) is a sequel to the original Five Nights at Freddy’s movie (FNaF), released in 2023. These movies are based on the horror game by the same name, which was released in 2014.
This game revolves around a cast of animatronic characters, in which the nightguard – the player – must use doors and lights to keep them at bay, all while conserving power. The FNaF franchise has many games; the second movie is based off of the second game in the series.
The FNaF franchise is best known for its story, and the movies follow that framework. The story includes a man known as William Afton – “the purple guy,” known for his 8-bit cutscene appearances as a purple figure. He ends the lives of several children at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the pizzeria in which the animatronic cast resides. The souls of these children subsequently possess the animatronics, which is the main catalyst for the in-game story. The first movie follows this framework loosely, but some fans complained it wasn’t faithful to the video game, as some characters and plot points had been changed.
“It felt rushed in the last 10 minutes, and Michael/Charlotte both being evil was an interesting choice,” said senior Jacen Serrano.
Scott Cawthon, the series’ creator, is also a co-writer of the movies, and has stated publicly that the movies are set in a different universe, which has been controversial – to say the least – among fans.
Senior Ben Congo had a similar opinion.
“It was completely off canon, which just felt like a money grab while watching it.”
Some fans also stated that the movie didn’t match the atmosphere of the original game. The original series features a lot of ambient horror, revolving around anticipation and jumpscares; some fans have argued that the movie is too silly, appealing too heavily to a younger audience.
Overall, it seems that some fans’ opinions are yet to be set as we wait for the third installment in the series. Fans hope it will tie off or explain the issues of the past two movies.
