Parents' Guide to Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Movie PG-13 2025 104 minutes
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 movie poster: Animatronic creatures appear to be trying to crawl through a large number 2.

Common Sense Media Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Abysmal, illogical, and unwatchable horror sequel.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 13+

Based on 17 parent reviews

age 12+

Based on 48 kid reviews

Kids say the movie is a mixed bag, with some enjoying its fun and engaging elements while others find it unscary or even disappointing compared to the first film. Fans appreciate the references and nods to the game series, but warn that it may not be suitable for younger viewers due to violence and jump scares.

  • mixed reactions
  • fan appreciation
  • not very scary
  • suitable for fans
  • violence and jump scares
Summarized with AI

What's the Story?

In FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2, Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), are trying to get back to a normal life after the harrowing events of the first movie. Mike and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) might even share a romantic spark. But Abby misses her "friends," and Mike doesn't know how to tell her that they're gone. Meanwhile, a group of paranormal investigators discovers the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where Vanessa's childhood friend Charlotte was killed. The investigators inadvertently unleash Charlotte's vengeful ghost, now inhabiting an animatronic character called the Marionette. Charlotte hopes to trick Abby into helping her also free Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy, sending them out of the restaurant and into the real world to cause untold havoc.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 17 ):
Kids say ( 48 ):

After initially showing some promise, this cash-in sequel devolves into the most achingly shopworn, mechanical batch of mismatched clichés imaginable; it's like a rundown robot. The dialogue in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 feels forced and mismatched, as if characters aren't really speaking or listening to each other. Characters split up when they shouldn't. Day suddenly turns to night. Robots that normally squeak and clunk and rumble the ground when they walk other times simply appear silently. The "original" Freddy's restaurant seems to magically emerge in town as if no one ever knew it was there, though it's close enough that Abby can ride her bike to it. And Abby's robotics teacher (Seinfeld's Wayne Knight) emotionally bullies her in a merciless way, going so far as to deliberately destroy her creation before the science fair, all so that when he meets his end, it's something viewers can root for.

There are dozens of other small irritants, too, from convenient coincidences to a complete lack of understanding of time passing. It all ends with a vague, seemingly random collection of twists that seem to suggest a third movie, but Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is more than plenty.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Five Nights at Freddy's 2's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?

  • How does this movie compare to the original? What about to the video game?

  • How do characters demonstrate communication in the movie? What could they have done better?

  • How is bullying shown via Mr. Berg, Abby's robotics teacher? Could Abby have handled the situation differently?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 movie poster: Animatronic creatures appear to be trying to crawl through a large number 2.

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate