Review Roundup: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ Opens to Catastrophic Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, the sequel to the 2023 horror film adaptation of Scott Cawthon’s popular video game series, has opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews. Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Cawthon, the movie stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard reprising their roles, with newcomers Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Teo Briones joining the cast.
We’re not done with you.
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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 in theaters December 5 pic.twitter.com/k4xJDDcT3c
The story picks up a year after the first film, following Abby Schmidt (Rubio) as she reconnects with the animatronic characters, uncovering secrets about the origins of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, and was released nationwide by Universal Pictures on December 5. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds an 11% approval rating based on 53 reviews and a similarly low score on audience tracking platforms.
Critics have described the film as predictable and uninspired, noting that it seems aimed at a younger audience and lacks the tension and thrills expected from a horror movie.
Many have also pointed out that the sequel relies heavily on references to the video games rather than delivering fresh scares, making it primarily enjoyable for die-hard fans of the franchise. Overall, reviewers are calling it a disappointing follow-up that fails to build on the suspense or horror of the first film.
Much of what takes place across the film’s 104 minutes feels telegraphed, a bit cheap and, sadly, resigned for a more 12-year-old mind-frame.
Peter Gray
The ‘Mortal Kombat Annihilation’ of Blumhouse sequels.
Doug Walker
An asinine, uninspired, unnecessary and anemic B-movie that neither provides enough chill, thrills or cool kills.
Avi Offer
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 plays best for die-hard fans; for everyone else, it’s a stitched-together sequel with few scares and even fewer surprises.
Allison Rose
Viewers who aren’t thrilled by recognizing new characters from an old game, and who expect more from a movie than a handful of PG-13 jump scares, are advised to spend their night anywhere that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 isn’t screening.
Alonso Duralde
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