GoodFon via Creative Commons

The movie is bad. I loved it, but it is bad, there is no getting around that. 

Ever since the first “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie (“FNAF”) was announced, there’s been a debate amongst fans: should the adaptation of the beloved game series be generic and accessible to attract the uninitiated, or authentic to the spirit of the game, appealing to its cult-like fanbase?

The original “FNAF” movie was too preoccupied with being commercially successful rather than faithful to its source material, forgetting all about the incredibly complex lore, which took four years and six games to give the fans a full story. 

Who could blame the film production, though? The movies were made by Blumhouse. This had to be more than a passion project. Luckily, the studio made the right choice, as 2023’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was a hit. Now, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” switches directions completely to prioritizing its dedicated fandom.

The film’s references to the “FNAF” community and fan creations are abundant. There are literally fan content creators in the film, not just as cameos, but in legitimate acting roles. Seconds into “FNAF 2”, there is an arcade machine for “Five Nights at Candy’s,” the first “FNAF” fan game ever made. As soon as I saw this, I knew this movie was for me, a true “FNAF” acolyte. 

While the new movie’s plot doesn’t follow the source material exactly, it has the same key events and moments. This makes for a plot that is easy for fans to understand and follow, but for the uninitiated, it may be too fast and unpredictable. The first FNAF movie only features one major human character from the video game, but in this new movie, nearly every character is portrayed exactly as they are in the games, a perfect 1:1.

The later entries of the FNAF video games incorporate heavy amounts of irony and comedy, and are actually quite known for pulling off their humor well. It worked because it was ironic, poking fun at issues in the real world. For example, “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator” has a gameplay element in which you, as a store owner, purposefully buy faulty equipment to garner profit rather than safety, mocking modern-day business practices.

FNAF 2 tries to replicate this humor but unfortunately falls short. Unlike the humor in the games, which is satirical, the humor in the movie is senseless. There’s nothing wrong with a few jokes here and there but there are far too many. These jokes kill the tension and atmosphere of the scenes. 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” in 2013, was born as a horror game. It shocked the scene with its revolutionary style of play and style of horror. Mascot horror took the horror scene by storm, even to this day. Generally mascot horror involves a small group of recognizable characters in which they jump-scare viewers to instill fear. That may sound overdone but in 2013 gaming, this was entirely new. “FNAF 2” gets the mascot part right and brings in many of the horrifying designs of the characters in the video games. However, the atmosphere of the movie is not scary whatsoever. The mixture of senseless comedy and constant changing of scene cannibalizes all atmosphere and tension.

One of the best aspects of the “FNAF” games are its antagonists. The “FNAF 2” movie introduces perhaps the most anticipated major antagonist from the video games. Unfortunately, he actually has very little screen time and no depth to his character. It hurts to see this film waste the antagonist’s potential.

If you’re at all interested with the “FNAF” franchise, I know you can see past “FNAF 2’s” glaring issues. Even though I complain more than I can praise “FNAF 2,” I can’t help but be charmed by this movie with its effort to give the fans what they want. Through all of my complaining, I’m still super excited for the next movie and I believe you should be excited too. This movie may absolutely not be perfect but it bleeds passion and ambition. This movie is a must watch for a “FNAF” or horror video game fan but for those uninitiated, maybe watch the first movie or stick with it. “FNAF 2” gets out of hand fast if you can’t follow along. As a fan, the sequel is just a better version of the first movie. It’s not consistent but the highs are high as the lows are lows.