Horror fans rejoice, as the minds behind Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (aka the FNAF 2 movie) promised the new film would address one of the biggest criticisms of the first movie. Following the success of the first FNAF movie, Blumhouse Pictures was quick to greenlight the second film, once again transporting audiences to the horror-tinged world of the beloved Five Nights at Freddy's games.
Blumhouse Pictures President Jason Blum quelled fans' fears about the FNAF 2 movie, promising they have taken some of the critiques of the first movie to heart. One of the most significant points of contention with the Josh Hutcherson-led first FNAF movie was that it did not lean hard enough on the franchise's horror roots, feeling like a tamed-down experience compared to the source material.
Well, Blum assured audiences they would not make that mistake again. In a recent appearance at CCXP Mexico (via Deducer on X), Blum promised that in the first movie, they "took lots of criticism" in how it handled its scarier moments, but they have "implement[ed] all that in the sequel:"
"We took lots of the criticism saying it was not scary, lacked blood or strong scenes, we decided to implement all that in the sequel."
This will be an exciting prospect for those who thought the first movie felt like it had training wheels on despite dipping its toes into the horror waters.
FNAF 2 will once again be directed by Emma Tammi, the first movie's director, and written by Scott Cawthon, the creator of the mega-hit video game franchise on which the films are based. The movie will focus on Josh Hutcherson's Mike Schmidt, a nighttime security guard for hire who contends with a series of terrifying haunted animatronics (read more about the new animatronics in FNAF 2 here). Hutcherson will be joined by Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard to round out this spine-tingling sequel.
Is Getting Scarier a Good Idea for FNAF 2?
One of the reasons the first FNAF movie succeeded to the level that it did, aside from being based on an ultra-viral video game franchise, was that it was easily accessible to various audiences.
While some of Blumhouse's other fare may be a bit scary for certain moviegoers, FNAF served as an entry point, taming things down to allow a broader audience to enjoy its supernatural story.
However, that also alienated the horror die-hards, hoping for some bloody fun they did not get in the first movie. Surely, there is a happy medium the team at Blumhouse can find for the sequel, stepping up the scares while remaining true to the franchise's more broadly appealing roots.
It will be interesting to see what this could do for the FNAF movie's rating. The first film was notably PG-13, but if the sequel gets a little more hardcore, that could push it to an R. This prospect may be exciting to some fans, but to others, it could mean they do not get to see the FNAF sequel despite loving the first.
There have been a few particularly creepy teases for the FNAF sequel, potentially meaning the movie could be headed for scarier horizons. One can only hope the studio does not turn its back on those who did not have issues with the first movie's toned-down nature in the first place.
