By Makayla Flenoury
Ever since the release of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) game in 2014, I have been a huge fan. I’ve studied the game lore like I’m preparing for a college exam. Imagine my inner child’s excitement when Blumhouse announced the production of the first FNAF movie.
When the first film hit theaters on Oct. 27, 2023, fans were ecstatic. Auditoriums were packed with cosplayers, and the movie had the biggest horror opening of the year. Despite the box office success, I left the theater disappointed.
The movie retained the core of FNAF, William Afton (Purple Guy or SpringTrap) murdered five children and stuffed their bodies in animatronic suits. The spirit of those kids trapped in the suits now possessed the animatronics.
However, the movie strayed too far from any other parts of the game lore and chose to tell its own story. This choice could have worked if the storytelling had been stronger. The execution felt messy and didn’t hit the way fans hoped. As a longtime fan, it was upsetting.
The first film left my expectations of FNAF 2 quite low. I went into the theaters prepared for another letdown. Surprisingly, the sequel flew past my expectations with flying colors. The producers of FNAF 2 refused to let the movie fail like FNAF 1.
FNAF 2 picks up one year after the events of FNAF 1, following Mike (Josh Hutcherson), Abby (Piper Rubio), and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) as they attempt to live a normal life. Abby, however, longs to reconnect with her friends (the animatronics), but Mike and Vanessa try to protect her from them. Little do they know Charlotte (Audrey Lynn Marie) has other plans.
Charlotte Emily was killed at the original Freddy’s location in 1982. Charlotte’s murder, along with the original location, was hidden from the public. Just as the other children possessed animatronics, Charlotte took control of the Marionette. Her presence grounds the film in lore that longtime fans can appreciate.
Charlotte was able to control the Toy Animatronics and manipulate Abby’s love for them to disable a perimeter lock so the animatronics could terrorize the city using the cover of the Fazfest event. Mike and Vanessa were left to the task of stopping them.
This adds a more horror-oriented element to the movie. Charlotte is angry and wants revenge against the parents who witnessed her murder. With the animatronics under her control, they are much more aggressive. The movie felt more serious and tailored towards the games.
While the plot is still messy and not very good, FNAF 2 was able to connect with its audience. Blumhouse already established the movie’s own storyline, so producers rely on game references and memes to appeal to fans.
Those moments alone changed the outcome of the film and the opinions of the viewers. It didn’t make the plot good, but entertaining enough to satisfy the audience. Many references can be found throughout the film, but three stood out as my favorites.
The first two go hand in hand; there is a scene in the movie where Mike is tasked with finding the location of the Toy Animatronics using the old computer in the office. This scene is a huge reference to the mechanics of the FNAF 2 game; Mike is actually playing the game.
During this scene, for a split second, Shadow Bonnie appears. Shadow Bonnie is an extremely rare occurrence in the FNAF 2 game, and it can even crash your game.
My other favorite reference is at the end of the movie. Mike, Abby and Vanessa are cornered by the Toy Animatronics, and things aren’t looking great for the trio. Just when tension is at its peak, Foxy’s hum from the first FNAF game signals recuse and the original animatronics come to save them once again.
The FNAF 2 movie is bad and a bit corny, but as a longtime fan, I appreciate the effort the producer put in to include the games. I would give this movie a 7.5/10 for the references alone.