The second movie in the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is kind of a win. This isn’t in the traditional sense; what makes cinema great need not necessarily be provided in a video game adaptation. And indeed, most critics have been less than enthused thus far.
With that being said, Emma Tammi’s latest film, based on the popular horror video game series FNaF, is a crowd-pleaser. One just has to consider that the crowd will likely be those who played the games and are looking for fan service and moments that will allow them to point at the screen emphatically as they shout to their friend, “See? It’s Marionette!” And so, the movie functions pretty well as a guilty pleasure and if you take it for what it is. The games are known for their jump scares and eerie elements: serial killers in bunny costumes and the like. If you enjoyed those moments from the first film, then you are in luck here. While silly at times, the latest Freddy’s film does pack a potent punch in the realm of the truly frightening.
When a young ghost-hunter’s body is inhabited by the spirit of a murdered young girl, we are treated to her phantom interactions with actual humans, and the results would make even an avid horror cinephile surprisingly scared. Now are jump scares cheap? Well, yes, but that’s not really the point here. In fact, that statement may be a microcosm of the entire film’s effectiveness, and perhaps even, if there is one, its ethos as well. This is simple, yet targeted, entertainment.
We continue where we left off in the first film, with former security guard, Mike, played by the always enjoyable Josh Hutcherson, trying to help his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) deal with the trauma of losing her animatronic “friends.” You might be asking yourself if these are the same robots from the first movie that ripped people apart and revealed massive metal jaws from deep inside their fun outer shells to, well, rip more people apart. The answer is yes! The animatronics continue to engage with Abby in this film, and Rubio is charming as she brings them to her local science fair and blows everyone away. Things eventually take a turn, as could probably be expected, but this is where the movie actually shines.
When Mike’s girlfriend, Vanessa, played by Elizabeth Lail of You Fame, is kidnapped by a ghostly entity aligned with the animatronics, he sets out to save both of them. This leads him into some of the best fan-service moments of the film. If you have never played the games, suffice to say it basically just involves you staring at a screen, and trying to avoid getting eviscerated by animatronic by employing very simple mechanics like shining a flashlight at them. In this film, as Mike watches the cameras, he also engages in easter egg content. One particularly funny moment is when he dons a Freddy Fazbear mask to confuse an animatronic, which was a well-known in-game element from the second installment of FNaF.
Animatronics from the second video game, which the movie is loosely based on, also make an appearance. The “toy,” animatronics, as they are known, have exaggerated features and are even more uncanny than the originals. What eventually ensues, without a ton of explicit plot development, is a battle between the animatronics from the first film and these new toy versions. This is the most effective action portion of the film, and one particularly notable scene is when Mangle, an animatronic who has been disassembled and has wires hanging everywhere, attacks Vanessa and runs her off the road on a particularly dark night on the highway. Taken by itself, this is actually a pretty worthy shot, and Tammi’s greatest accomplishment in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
The movie is full of fun moments like this. They probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone who has never played the games, but then again, it begs the question of intended audience in art and media. Is everything that is created in the public space for everyone? I would wager not. If I hadn’t played these games before, I probably wouldn’t have seen this film. That’s not to say that a causal viewer, an outsider, wouldn’t find enjoyable aspects of this film, it’s just that they would lack the necessary reference points to truly appreciate it.
Such is the nature of adaptation cinema in the 2020s. If you liked The Super Mario Bros. Movie or Minecraft, then you will probably like this too. Tammi does a good enough job of exercising the mechanisms of dread that a causal horror viewer will likely enjoy it as well. There is also a great cast to consider. Matthew Lillard (who also played Shaggy in another silly/scary adaptation Scooby Doo) reprises his role as serial killer William Afton and shines in a disturbing dream sequence with his daughter Vanessa. Lillard has recently received some negative press after Quentin Tarantino himself said he “didn’t like” his acting. This petty, yet hilarious, slight has only seemed to garner more attention for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, so perhaps Lillard should send the Pulp Fiction director a case of wine.
Wayne Knight, better known as Newman from Seinfeld, plays a valid antagonist at Abby’s school, and is eventually dealt with by the chick animatronic, Chica, in particularly brutal fashion. This is one of the highlights of the film. Skeet Ulrich also has a small role as Henry Emily, the father of one of the murdered children.
If video game adaptations continue in the trend of pleasing the desired and expected audience of their respective franchises, then fans will likely celebrate. After all, they are getting to relive their favorite in-game moments on the big screen. They get to dress up, buy a $50 popcorn bucket shaped like Freddy Fazbear’s head, and point their fingers at the screen, becoming vicariously close to the games they have been using to escape, even if briefly, from their actual lives. The idea of fantasy, specifically this electronic reverie, can be both cathartic and fun at the same time. isn’t this what movies are all about anyway?
GRADE C+
FIVE NOT AT FREDDY’S 2 IS NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE
Paaaassssss