Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (film)

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a 2025 American supernatural horror film based on the video game series Five Nights at Freddy's created by Scott Cawthon and the sequel to the 2023 film adaptation. The film was directed by Emma Tammi and written by Cawthon. Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard reprise their roles from the previous film, with Mckenna Grace, Wayne Knight, and Skeet Ulrich joining the cast. Set a year and a half after the previous film, it follows Abby Schmidt (Rubio) as she gets manipulated by the Marionette, an animatronic from the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizza who aims to plot revenge against parents.

Cawthon stated in August 2018 that there could be a second Five Nights at Freddy's film based on the events of the series' second game if the first film were successful. Hutcherson revealed the development of a sequel in January 2024, with Blumhouse Productions confirming it three months later. Principal photography began in November 2024 and concluded in February 2025 in New Orleans and surrounding communities.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on December 5. While it was a commercial success, grossing $240 million worldwide against a budget between $36–51 million. Similarly to its predecessor, it received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1982, at the first Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant, Charlotte Emily witnesses its co-founder William Afton lure a boy into the back rooms to kill him. Her pleas for help are ignored by nearby parents, so she rescues the boy herself despite the protestations of her best friend Vanessa, William's daughter. Charlotte is fatally stabbed by William, falls through an onstage trapdoor, and is held by the Marionette animatronic. The incident is suppressed, and the restaurant is subsequently shut down. Another restaurant in the Freddy Fazbear's franchise opens some time later, where William murders five more children.

In 2002, two years after William was killed by the spirits of his victims at the franchise location, the legends of the murders spawn a horror festival called "Fazfest". Abby misses her ghostly friends and repeatedly asks her older brother Mike to repair the animatronics they inhabited. Believing the spirits are dangerous and have moved on, Mike repeatedly makes excuses until Abby returns to the franchise location herself. Mike finds her there, apologizes for lying, and discovers a talking toy called the FazTalker. Meanwhile, the adult Vanessa struggles with the trauma of her father's crimes and abuse.

Ghost hunters Lisa, Alex, and Rob tour the original restaurant with its security guard Michael. Lisa finds and deactivates a music box, awakening the Marionette, which is possessed by Charlotte's vengeful spirit. The Marionette possesses Lisa, takes control of the restaurant's "Toy" animatronics, and kills Alex and Rob. Abby receives a message on the FazTalker from Toy Chica, whom she believes to be the Chica possessed by her friend from the franchise restaurant. She visits the original location, where Toy Chica helps her build a robot for a school science fair. Vanessa grows concerned for Abby's safety after learning this, but Mike dismisses her, having learned of Charlotte's murder and of Vanessa's connection to it.

Vanessa travels to the original restaurant, discovers the Marionette has awakened, and is captured by the possessed Lisa. However, the animatronics cannot leave unless their safeguards are disabled. Meanwhile, Abby's science project is destroyed by her unsupportive teacher, Mr. Berg. She returns to the original restaurant and disables the safeguards at Toy Chica's request to be her new project. While meeting with Charlotte's father Henry, Mike learns that Abby has gone missing from school. Mike heads to the original restaurant after Henry gives him a new music box to leave there for Charlotte.

At Abby's school, Toy Chica kills Mr. Berg. The other Toy animatronics begin hunting parents, whom Charlotte seeks revenge against for ignoring her pleas for help. Mike frees Vanessa, who pursues the Toy animatronics, while Mike remains at the original restaurant to remotely track them while fending off Withered prototype animatronics. The Marionette, having abandoned Lisa's corpse to hide inside Toy Chica, possesses Abby. Realizing they are outnumbered, Mike returns to the franchise restaurant and pleads for the possessed animatronics to help Abby.

Mike and Vanessa return to Mike's home, where he uses the music box to lull the Marionette back to sleep and free Abby. They are surrounded by the Toy animatronics and Michael, Vanessa's brother who wants to continue William's murders. He orders the Toy animatronics to kill them, but the possessed animatronics arrive and destroy the Toy animatronics, before their safeguards cause them to shut down; Michael escapes. The possessed animatronics enter the afterlife, warning that they will no longer be able to hold "him" back. Mike leaves with Abby, telling Vanessa to stay away as he no longer trusts her. Alone, Vanessa is possessed by the Marionette.

At the franchise location, the animatronic suit containing William's body is found and activates.

Cast

• Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, a former security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza
• Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa Shelly, a local police officer and William Afton's daughter.
  • Miriam Spumpkin plays a young Vanessa during the scenes set in the 1980s.
• Piper Rubio as Abby Schmidt, Mike's younger sister
• Freddy Carter as Michael Afton, a security guard at Freddy's, Vanessa's brother, and William's son
• Theodus Crane as Jeremiah, Mike's former co-worker
• Wayne Knight as Mr. Berg, Abby's middle school science teacher
• Teo Briones as Alex, a paranormal activity hunter
• Mckenna Grace as Lisa, a paranormal activity hunter
• Skeet Ulrich as Henry Emily, the father of Charlotte Emily and business partner of William Afton
• Matthew Lillard as William Afton, a serial killer, founder of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, and Vanessa's father
• Kellen Goff as the voice of Toy Freddy. Goff also portrays an attendee at Faz-Fest and provides Foxy's scatting.
• Megan Fox as the voice of Toy Chica
• Matthew "MatPat" Patrick as the voice of Toy Bonnie. Patrick previously made a cameo appearance in the first film.
• Audrey Lynn Marie as Charlotte Emily, the late daughter of Henry Emily who possesses the Marionette
• David Andrew Calvillo as Rob, a paranormal activity hunter
• Grant Feely as the murdered boy whose soul is possessing Golden Freddy

Production

Development

In August 2018, Scott Cawthon said that if the first film were to be successful, there could be a second film that follows the events of the second game. A sequel was revealed to be in development by Josh Hutcherson, the actor who portrayed the role of Mike Schmidt in the previous film, in January 2024. In April 2024, Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions officially confirmed the sequel, and that Jim Henson's Creature Shop would return to design animatronics for the film. In October 2024, Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard were confirmed to reprise their roles; the latter of whom had signed a three-picture deal with the studios.

In April 2025, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Teo Briones joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Skeet Ulrich, who previously starred alongside Lillard in Scream (1996), later joined the cast in a then-undisclosed role. On October 10, 2025, Kellen Goff, Megan Fox, and Matthew Patrick were announced as the voices of the animatronics.

Writing

Scott Cawthon, after co-writing the first film with Seth Cuddeback and Emma Tammi, returned as the main screenwriter. Matthew Lillard stated that the production crew had carefully addressed fan feedback from the first film, hinting that the film might include more action and jump scares as well as an "amped-up" story. According to Blum, the script for the sequel required only four or five drafts compared to the first film, which had around fourteen.

Tammi stated that she hopes for the film to be special and unexpected while focusing on what the fans want, hinting a lot of Easter eggs and references, though she also believes that casual audiences can still follow and enjoy the film even if they "don't understand all the layers."

Filming

Principal photography was expected to start in late October 2024. At New York Comic-Con on October 17, Matthew Lillard stated that filming would start in "10 days", putting the filming date at October 27 specifically. Filming began by November 2024 and wrapped in February 2025, with Lyn Moncrief serving as the cinematographer.

Release

In August 2025, an attraction based on the first film was added to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights to promote the second film. A limited-time promotion with Fanta was released around the same time. On November 17, Popeyes released a promotional meal for the movie. A set of photos were leaked online in January 2025.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025, and was released in the United States on December 5, by Universal Pictures. The film was released on digital on December 23, 2025, and was released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 17.