Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Tanks on Rotten Tomatoes as Critics Pile On

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 finally hit theaters, and the early verdict from critics is... not pretty. Fans turned out, interest is high, but the review side of the equation is grim. If you were hoping the sequel cracked the code, the numbers and pull quotes say otherwise.

Quick refresher: this is the follow-up to the 2023 hit based on the game series, set once again around Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and its cursed animatronics. Emma Tammi is back in the director's chair, with Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Piper Rubio returning. The movie leans hard on franchise lore, keeps things PG-13 in the scare department, and pushes deeper into the supernatural thread from last time.

What critics are saying

'Viewers who aren't thrilled by recognizing new characters from an old game, and who expect more from a movie than a handful of PG-13 jump scares, are advised to spend their night anywhere that Five Nights at Freddy's 2 isn't screening.'

• Jesse Hassenger (The Guardian) gave it a 1/4 and basically argued that Scott Cawthon's writing just does not land when it comes to actual human emotion, leaning instead on clunky references.
• Alonso Duralde (The Film Verdict) warned that if you are not the type to cheer for character cameos from the games, and you want more than mild jolts, this is not the ticket.
• Avi Offer (NYC Movie Guru) went scorched-earth, calling it an asinine, uninspired, unnecessary, and lifeless B-movie that lacks chills, thrills, or memorable kills.
• Frank Scheck (The Hollywood Reporter) tossed a dry compliment at the cast for keeping a straight face through the whole thing.
• Allison Rose (FlickDirect) said die-hard fans will probably get the most out of it, but for everyone else, it plays like a stitched-together sequel with few real scares and even fewer surprises.
• Aaron Neuwirth (We Live Entertainment) wished the movie let you play along instead of repeatedly stepping on its own momentum with choices that feel like instant game-over screens.

The Rotten Tomatoes picture (and how it compares)

As of now, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is sitting at 12% on Rotten Tomatoes from 51 critic reviews. Over 100 verified audience members have already logged ratings, but the site has not posted an audience score yet.

For context: the 2023 original sits at 33% from 215 critic reviews. So yes, that one was also a critical punching bag, but it at least cleared a higher bar than the sequel has so far. The first movie did land an 86% audience score, which is a big reason the sequel exists; we will see if fans rally around Part 2 the same way once the audience score drops.

Bottom line: if you are deeply invested in the lore, you might still find what you are looking for. If you want fresh scares or a tighter story, critics are flashing red lights.