A while ago, I wrote about how 2026 is potentially the biggest year ever for video game adaptations due to the sheer amount of adaptations we were getting.
However, swooping in at the end of 2025 (December 5th, to be exact) was possibly one of the biggest video game adaptations we could have gotten with Five Nights at Freddy's 2. It made over $230 million worldwide on a reported $36 million budget (so the probability of a third film is likely, though not set in stone yet).
I recently watched the second movie with my Netflix subscription, and can I just say that I liked it even better than the first movie, which I already think is one of the best video game movies ever made. Here's why.
For One Thing, It Genuinely Did Freak Me Out A Few Times
Now, I don't get freaked out often when I watch horror movies (at least the horror movies that I'm not too scared to watch), but can I just say that this PG-13 movie based on a video game series that is mostly beloved by children (or, at least Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha) actually spooked me a few times? That's something that the first movie, which again, I liked, never did.
You see, it's the new character, the Marionette animatronic, aka "the Puppet," that does it for me, since she can possess bodies and create this eerie, stringy creature that really makes my skin crawl whenever she moves.
This is actually very unique for me, since I've never actually been unnerved by the Marionette character from the games. Now, granted, I don't actually PLAY the games (I'll get to that in a moment), but as somebody who has inadvertently been following the FNaF series for quite some time now, I have to say, the Marionette in this film is WAY scarier than what’s in the games, which I'll get into next.
This Movie Is Much Closer To The Games Than The First Film
Like I just said, I don't play the FNaF games, as they were kind of after my time (I’m more into titles from the Resident Evil series and Silent Hill). However, both of my kids are REALLY into the lore of FNaF, and they love the games. So, I'm very much an over-the-shoulder kind of fan, as I’ve watched them play most of the titles. And, can I just say that I recognize a lot more of the games in this film than I did in the last movie?
For instance, there’s a scene where Balloon Boy (Yes, that’s an actual character) is stalking our protagonists in the water, and you see his beanie hat propeller like a shark fin or something. You also have the prototype animatronics, as well as a scene where Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is literally sitting at a desk while the animatronics get closer and closer (Mike even keeps commenting on how there really should be a door, just as there is in the games).
It’s all very easter egg-heavy stuff, and I’m sure series creator Scott Cawthon had a blast sticking all of this in when he was writing the screenplay.
It Made Me Want To See A Sequel
Lastly, this movie is much better than the first one because now I genuinely want a sequel, whereas after the first one, I didn’t really care either way.
It could be the way that this film ended, which I won’t spoil here, but it definitely leaves the door open for a third film in the series, making this a trilogy (Or possibly beyond).
I just really like all of these characters now, and I hope to see this franchise expand even more after watching this sequel. I think they finally nailed the tone.
So what did you think? Have you watched it now that it’s on Netflix? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
