LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Mysterious, eerie and unpredictable. The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise is beloved by many across the globe for its intricate design, storyline and lore. Many fans were excited to see the sequel to the first “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie, an unexpected box office hit. 

“Five Nights At Freddy’s 2” continues with the main characters from the first movie, Mike (Josh Hutcherson), Abby (Piper Rubio) and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), as they try to move on from past traumas and battle the Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronic monsters. The sequel is full of action-packed sequences and fun (although not very scary and pretty predictable) jump scares, and introduces new, yet recognizable characters.

Many fans eagerly anticipated Megan Fox to voice Toy Chica, as well as MatPat’s return to the FNAF franchise, voicing Bonnie. There are also special appearances from McKenna Grace, Skeet Ulrich and Mathew Lillard, reprising his role as William Afton. 

Lillard and Ulrich have previously worked together on the iconic thriller classic, “Scream,” which put them on the map as horror movie royalty back in 1997. While they may not have much screen time or give quite as impressive performances since “Scream”, both continue their legacy in the genre. 

Unfortunately, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is full of over-the-top performances and cringeworthy child actors, but the film is still sure to make you snicker. Although the child actors at times lacked luster and were devoid of emotion, Josh Hutcherson and McKenna Grace gave enjoyable performances that captured the true emotions of their respective characters.

Despite the on-point acting, the movie itself is full of plot holes that had viewers confused over the many conflicting storylines. There was an intense amount of information that was shoved into the viewer’s face, with many locations and animatronic switches that made for a hard-to-follow plot. Multiple scenes required previous knowledge of the original “FNAF” movie. A majority of the plot had no real substance or meaning behind it, making it feel like fan service. 

However, on a positive note, the artistic design of the animatronics was very well-rendered and paid tribute to the game’s original designs. The design of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” toy animatronics was well-detailed, with various complex, realistic motion rigs that made the animatronics appear life-like. They weren’t as cringe or fake-looking, and definitely looked better than the animatronics in the first “Five Nights at Freddy’s” installment. 

“FNAF 2” gives disappointing performances and a confusing plot, but is overall a good time, packed with easter eggs and an entertaining design. This movie was built for fans of the franchise. Even though it doesn’t follow the game or book lore, it does build on it, making for a decently enjoyable movie.