Published Jan 6, 2026
Ayla Mager
Cub Reporter
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 premiered Dec. 5, 2025. The movie was directed by Emma Tammi, and written by Scott Cawthon, the original writer of the games.
Famous actors in the movie are Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, Matthew Lillard as Michael Afton/Yellow Rabbit, Mckenna Grace as Lisa and Megan Fox as the voice of Toy Chica. The movie also used fan favorite YouTube creators Matthew Patrick (MatPat) as the voice of Toy Bonnie and Cory Williams (Coryxkenshin) as Cabbie.
The movie followed the storyline of the second Five Nights at Freddy’s game, starting in the first Freddy’s establishment.
The film used practical effects for the animatronics, having actors controlling them from the inside. This gave better visuals for the many interactions between humans and animatronics. The animatronics were provided by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
The movie used numerous references to the games, and left a ton of easter eggs for fans. Using quotes from the game, referencing actions players would take while playing the game and cameos of different characters from the game kept spectators engaged and entertained.
The movie used lighting to capture tones. When there was a jumpscare or suspenseful moment the lights would shift from dark to bright reds or purples. These two colors successfully highlighted the ominous vibes that the animatronics give off. Overall the movie used mostly dark lighting to create a dim and frightening atmosphere.
While the movie looks accurate to the games concerning the animatronics, the plot lines are not game lore accurate. The film follows the lore to an extent, but it takes its own twist on some aspects, like changing the animatronics motivations and changing the Afton family dynamic.
Although fans have problems with the change in lore, Cawthon is looking to let the movies follow their own path. With the complexity and large amount of lore in the games, it would be a challenge to use 100% accuracy during the making of the movies.
The movie might be confusing at points when watching with the expectation of it being like the games, but if it’s viewed as its own piece it can be very deep and enticing. Production was carefully thought of and the movie itself was created well.
The movie was an enjoyable watch that had me at the edge of my seat. There was a good balance between storyline and fanservice. The new interpretation of the games is promising and interesting.
Having gone into the movie without full game expectations, I was given an experience full of suspense, laughs, screams and enjoyment.