Since my middle school years, I have considered myself a Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) fanatic. Although I was restricted from this game during my childhood due to its horrifying content, it didn’t stop me from spending countless hours trying to beat Security Breach after its release in late 2021 and spending numerous school nights watching Markepliers’ videos.
The moment the first movie was announced in 2023, I was ecstatic. Along with the fact that Josh Hutcherson was starring as the main character, it was guaranteed that the FNAF movies would be incredible. After watching the first movie, I was counting down the days until the second movie was released.
Hours after it came into the theater, I was ready to watch the lore unfold.
For those unaware, FNAF movies hold more than just a recreation of a horror video game; they exemplify the long, complicated backstory of it. The various games—over ten—all lay out in a chronological order. It’s easy to say that the second movie did a pretty good job of going in order of the games. When the second Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria was introduced in the second FNAF movie, it was said that it was the “original” of the chain restaurants, which lines up with the original lore. For fans who are aware of this, it’s more than just a pizzeria, but a significant element that brings many back to their childhood years.
The order of the games was not the only thing that was significant to the lore, as there were many other clever elements that audience members may not have caught. The introduction of Michael Afton (Freddy Carter) was an incredible addition, along with the accuracy of the gameplay in the first pizzeria. In the second FNAF video game, there is no door, like in the others. When Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is trying to shut off the animatronics while Vanessa Shelly (Elizabeth Lail) searches for them, he states, “Where is the door?” then proceeds to grab an animatronic dummy head and place it over his own to mess with the dangerous animatronics scanners. This small addition honestly made the whole movie a lot better, as it felt like I was truly back on my iPad playing FNAF 2 with my younger sister.
While other factors, such as the missing children, the toy, and the withered animatronics were also lore accurate, there were many factors that were added in addition to the movie. Die-hard FNAF fans would argue that the movies do not accurately exemplify the lore. However, I myself, who knows the backstory of the games by heart, would argue that, for a one-hour and thirty-minute movie, the producers did a great job incorporating their own ideas along with the original story.
Although there was one factor that I did not find enthralling about the movie, especially for those who have not seen the first or heard of the lore: the acting. The acting was subpar, and aside from Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail, it could have used some serious work. The main little girl, Abby Schmidt (Piper Rubio), at times, felt like she didn’t have any emotions. It felt as if she were a robot. As a main character, that should not be the first thought I had about her. This acting issue also includes Freddy Carter, who didn’t live up to my expectations. His emotions were there, particularly towards Vanessa, around the end, except it did not feel natural. As such a major character, especially in terms of the lore, he should have had much better acting skills.
This movie was great. But, for non-fans of the video games, it has the possibility of being seen as a cheesy children’s horror movie with poor acting, which is not the intention of the movie. There is no doubt that I will be counting down the days until the third movie’s release; however, I do hope for the acting to have been improved by then.
