Five ways to save the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 movie from sucking

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It’s no secret that Five Nights at Freddy’s was one of the worst films I had the displeasure of viewing in 2023. It was boring and humorless, and worst of all, there weren’t nearly enough murderous animatronics causing mayhem. However, I’ve always said knowing your audience when it comes to adapted properties is essential. Fans of the series showed up to make it one of the most successful movies of last year.

Given the first film’s success, a sequel is almost sure to happen. In fact, the movie’s star, Josh Hutcherson, has said in recent interviews that the movie’s creators “want to get going as soon as possible” on a follow-up.

Although the first film might have been a box-office success, that doesn't make it a good movie. But instead of just complaining, I want to become part of the solution. There are a few things Blumhouse Productions can do to ensure that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has appeal beyond just fans of the video games. Here are my five suggestions on how to save Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 from sucking.

1. Give me more horror and killer animatronics

One of my biggest complaints about the first film is that it wasn’t scary and that scenes with the killer animatronic dolls were few and far between. For Five Nights At Freddy’s 2, there’s a real opportunity to bring back fan-favorite animatronics like Freddy Fazbear and Chica while also introducing the “toy animatronics” from the sequel. Not only would this mean more animatronics running around, but it could set up some really cool death scenes—something the first film was lacking. I realize the movie was held back a little by its PG-13 rating, but that rating doesn’t have to mean no scares. Just look at M3gan!.

2. Fix the awful pacing

Five Nights at Freddy’s was boring. I came for the killer robots, but I got a drawn-out story involving a custody hearing, parent-teacher conferences, and other mundane acts in a run time that was too long. The scariness of this supposed horror story loses momentum in all of this back-and-forth. In fact, despite the “Five Nights” in the title, nothing really happens until night three. That’s two nights we’re cheated out of! Now that the characters have been established, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 should focus more on the horror elements instead of all the surrounding character drama that doesn’t matter. Stop with all of the subplots! The Five Nights at Freddy’s games are simple, and the film should be also.

3. Make the easter eggs and fan service more approachable

The many easter eggs and nods to the game franchise in Five Nights at Freddy’s received praise from some viewers. That stuff is great for hardcore fans, but what about the rest of us? If you were unfamiliar with the series, many easter eggs went over your head, fell flat, or didn’t make any sense. It’s important to have these moments, but they should be presented in a way that keeps newer audiences in mind. Just think about The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It knew how to please the fans and grab the attention of general audiences. Even if you don’t read comics, there’s plenty to enjoy in The Avengers. The next Five Nights at Freddy’s film should figure out a way to pay respects to the video game history without making the general audience feel left out of the fun.

4. Go beyond the lore

Five Nights at Freddy’s stayed true to the lore of the games, but I’d love to see the sequel introduce something new. No, I’m not talking about betraying fans of the games and taking Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in a different direction entirely, but there’s room for something fresh that’s exclusive to the film adaptation. Maybe it’s a new human encountering the horrors of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, or maybe it’s an evil robot character we’ve never seen before. The details of the ghost children haunting this pizzeria have been gone over quite thoroughly in the first film, so it’s time for something new.

5. More dark humor

Let’s face it: a story about killer animatronics coming to life in a second-rate Chuck E. Cheese rip-off is ridiculous—the exact kind of ridiculous that’s fun to play and watch. One of the biggest mistakes I would like to see corrected in the sequel is refocusing on the dark humor inherent in this concept. Obviously this isn’t meant to be a wacky comedy, but something’s clearly gone wrong when a killer teddy bear in a top hat doesn’t make me scream in terror or laugh in amusement.

💬 Are you going to watch Five Nights at Freddy’s 2? And how do you think they can make this film better than the first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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