Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (film)
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Get ready to dive back into the shadows. Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the 2025 American supernatural horror film, is here. A sequel to the 2023 adaptation, this chilling installment is based on the beloved video game series by Scott Cawthon, who also penned the script. Directed by Emma Tammi, the film sees Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard return to their roles, joined by new faces like Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Teo Briones.
Set a year after the events of the first film, we follow Abby Schmidt as she reconnects with her animatronic friends. But this reunion unearths dark secrets, revealing the true origins of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
The journey to the screen began in August 2018, with Scott Cawthon hinting at a sequel if the first film achieved success. By January 2024, Josh Hutcherson confirmed development, with Blumhouse Productions officially announcing it three months later. Principal photography commenced in November 2024 and wrapped in February 2025, primarily in New Orleans and its surrounding communities.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025, before its wider release in the United States on December 5th by Universal Pictures.
The cast includes:
Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, the former security guard.
Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa Shelly, a local police officer and William Afton's daughter.
Piper Rubio as Abby Schmidt, Mike's younger sister.
Freddy Carter as Michael Afton, a security guard, Vanessa's older brother, and William's son.
Theodus Crane as Jeremiah, Mike's former co-worker.
Wayne Knight as Mr. Berg, Abby's middle school science teacher.
Teo Briones as Alex, a paranormal activity hunter.
Mckenna Grace as Lisa, also a paranormal activity hunter.
Skeet Ulrich as Henry Emily, the father of Charlie and a victim of William Afton.
Matthew Lillard reprises his role as William Afton, the serial killer and Vanessa's father, trapped within his own mechanical suit.
Kellen Goff lends his voice to Toy Freddy, returning from the first film.
Megan Fox voices Toy Chica.
And Matthew "MatPat" Patrick, a familiar face from the first film, voices Toy Bonnie.
In production, Scott Cawthon returned to write the script, incorporating fan feedback for an "amped-up" story with more action and jump scares. Matthew Lillard hinted at the increased intensity. Blum noted the script required fewer drafts than the first film. Director Emma Tammi aimed for a special, unexpected film that rewards fans with Easter eggs and references, while remaining accessible to casual viewers. Filming began in late October 2024 and concluded by February 2025.
The film's release was supported by a Halloween Horror Nights attraction and a Fanta promotion in August 2025, followed by a Popeyes meal in November.
However, critical reception for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 was largely negative. Critics found it more ambitious than its predecessor, but ultimately fell short in storytelling and scares. Rotten Tomatoes reported an 11% positive rating from 53 critics, while Metacritic assigned a score of 32 out of 100, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. While some praised upgraded animatronics and moments of tension, criticisms focused on confusing storylines, weak character development, and an uneven, bloated screenplay. The film was described as an "incoherent mess" with an "after-school special vibe" that lacked real horror.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a 2025 American supernatural horror film based on the video game series Five Nights at Freddy's created by Scott Cawthon and the sequel to the 2023 film adaptation. The film was directed by Emma Tammi and written by Cawthon. Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard reprise their roles from the previous film, with Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Teo Briones joining the cast. Set a year after the first film, it follows Abby Schmidt (Rubio) as she reconnects with her animatronic friends, leading to events that reveal the origins of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
Cawthon stated in August 2018 that there could be a second Five Nights at Freddy's film, based on the events of the series' second video game, if the first film were successful. Hutcherson revealed the development of a sequel in January 2024, with Blumhouse Productions confirming it three months later. Principal photography began in November 2024 and concluded in February 2025 in New Orleans and surrounding communities.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on December 5. Like its predecessor, the film received negative reviews from critics.
== Cast ==
Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, a former security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza
Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa Shelly, a local police officer and William Afton's daughter
Piper Rubio as Abby Schmidt, Mike's younger sister
Freddy Carter as Michael Afton, a security guard at Freddy's, Vanessa's older brother, and William's son
Theodus Crane as Jeremiah, Mike's former co-worker
Wayne Knight as Mr. Berg, Abby's middle school science teacher
Teo Briones as Alex, a paranormal activity hunter
Mckenna Grace as Lisa, a paranormal activity hunter
Skeet Ulrich as Henry Emily, the father of Charlie, a murder victim of William Afton's whose soul possessed the Puppet
Matthew Lillard as William Afton, a serial killer and Vanessa's father who was previously trapped and crushed by his own mechanical "springlock" suit
Kellen Goff as the voice of Toy Freddy. Goff previously appeared in the first film, providing the animatronic Foxy's scatting.
Megan Fox as the voice of Toy Chica
Matthew "MatPat" Patrick as the voice of Toy Bonnie. Patrick previously appeared in the first film as a waiter in a cameo appearance.
== Production ==
=== Development ===
In August 2018, Scott Cawthon said that if the first film were to be successful, there could be a second film that follows the events of the second game. A sequel was revealed to be in development by Josh Hutcherson, the actor who portrayed the role of Mike Schmidt in the previous film, in January 2024. In April 2024, Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions officially confirmed the sequel, and that Jim Henson's Creature Shop would return to design animatronics for the film. In October 2024, Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard were confirmed to reprise their roles; the latter of whom had signed a three-picture deal with the studios.
In April 2025, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Teo Briones joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Skeet Ulrich, who previously starred alongside Lillard in Scream (1996), later joined the cast in another undisclosed role. On October 10, 2025, Kellen Goff, Megan Fox, and Matthew Patrick were announced as the voices of the animatronics.
=== Writing ===
Scott Cawthon, after co-writing the first film with Seth Cuddleback and Emma Tammi, returns to pen the script for Five Nights At Freddy's 2. Matthew Lillard has stated that the production crew had carefully listened to fan feedback from the first film and incorporated it into the sequel, hinting that the film might include more action and jump scares as well as an "amped-up" story. According to Blum, the script for the sequel required only four or five drafts compared to the first film, which had around fourteen.
Tammi stated that she hopes for the film to be special and unexpected while focusing on what the fans want, hinting a lot of Easter eggs and references, though she also believes that casual audiences can overall follow and enjoy the film even if they "don't understand all the layers."
=== Filming ===
Principal photography was expected to start in late October 2024. At New York Comic-Con on October 17, Matthew Lillard stated that filming would start in "10 days", putting the filming date at October 27 specifically. Filming began by November 2024 and wrapped in February 2025, with Lyn Moncrief serving as the cinematographer.
== Release ==
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025, and was released in the United States on December 5.
=== Marketing ===
In August 2025, an attraction based on the first film was added to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights to promote the second film. A limited-time promotion with Fanta was released around the same time. On November 17, Popeyes released a promotional meal for the movie.
== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 received negative reviews from critics, who deemed it more ambitious than its predecessor, but falls flat on both storytelling and scares. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 11% of 53 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 32 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.
Megan Garside of GamesRadar+ praised the film's upgraded animatronics and a handful of effective scares, but criticized its "confusing and muddled storyline", weak character development, and the underuse of actors such as Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich. /Film was more negative, awarding the sequel a 4 out of 10. The review praised the practical animatronic effects and some successful moments of tension reminiscent of the original game, but criticized the screenplay as bloated, uneven, and ultimately unable to tell a coherent story.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety acknowledged the film's stronger visuals and polished production values compared to its predecessor, but argued that its "excess of subplots" and heavy reliance on franchise lore might alienate casual audiences. The A.V. Club offered an even harsher critique, citing the film's inconsistent pacing, excessive exposition, and difficulty balancing horror elements with its dense mythos, ultimately calling it a disappointing follow-up that struggles to stand on its own. In his review for the Associated Press, Mark Kennedy gave the film zero stars out of four, deriding it as "an incoherent mess", having "an after-school special vibe with no real horror and no real awareness that it should".
== See also ==
List of films based on video games
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 at IMDb
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