Not much has changed for me in terms of my enjoyment of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise since the first film came out. I have an understanding of the first game, and have now seen the first movie maybe twice. I don’t know any of the lore past what is in the first game and the first movie. I wouldn’t say I am a die-hard fan is what I’m getting at. But from what I’ve picked up on from seeing the first film and now having seen the sequel, it seems these movies are made with fans solely in mind.
In a very cliché way, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” ups the ante from the first film. The scares are bigger, which had me shook a little bit. I can handle horror movies, but when they become too “jump-scary,” that’s when I legitimately get annoyed. They get me every time. There is also a noticeably higher budget for “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”, with triple the amount of puppets bringing the “FNAF” world to life.
Truthfully, that’s why you come to see these movies, the puppets. Yet again, the Jim Henson Creature Shop has knocked it out of the park with not only bringing back the massive puppets from the first film, but also bringing to life new ones that have a drastically different look. Truly the use of practical characters over CGI in “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is worth the price of admission alone.
One of my complaints about the first movie is that there weren’t enough gameplay nods. Meaning there weren’t many moments that were a direct moment from the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” games. I am happy to report there is a massive sequence in “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” where you get Mike, sitting at a desk, fighting off the animatronics, and it’s my favorite sequence of the film.