Josh Hutcherson Teases Top-Secret Five Nights at Freddy's 2: Double the Animatronics, More Jump Scares, and a Game-Changing Twist

Blumhouse is locking down Five Nights at Freddy's 2 like it stole the moon. Over two years after the first movie became a surprise hit, the sequel is being handled with way more secrecy, and the cast and crew sound pretty thrilled about what they are hiding.

So, how secret are we talking?

'Top secret level 1 million.'

That is Josh Hutcherson describing the vibe. He says every trailer, every poster, every asset comes with do-not-open-until emails that would make a Marvel publicist sweat. In short: they are serious about keeping the goods under wraps until the exact second they want you to see them.

Where the story picks up

The sequel is set a year after Mike and his little sister Abby escaped Freddy Fazbear's haunted pizzeria. Just when they think they are out, they get yanked right back into the animatronic nightmare. Hutcherson is playing cagey on details, but he promises the follow-up goes bigger, meaner, and more twisted in all the ways fans want. The first film's ingredients are still there; the dial is just snapped off.

The creatures got an upgrade

If you have clocked the marketing, you have already seen both the withered and Toy versions of the animatronics show up this time. Expect more faces from the games too. Behind the scenes, the puppetry sounds wild: one of the new builds reportedly takes nine people to operate, with a jungle of cables, rods, remotes, and even a two-head setup. Jim Henson's Creature Shop is back on creature duty, and Hutcherson basically calls their work next-level terrifying compared to the first movie.

Do they leave the pizzeria?

The trailer teases that the animatronics might not be staying put. Director Emma Tammi hints the sequel changes up how these things move and behave once they are in your space.

'They're out for blood.'

She adds there are new elements in play, and if you find yourself face-to-face with one of these things, the advice is simple: do not get cozy. Tammi says the way they operate this time is an exciting twist from the first movie.

What to expect in FNAF 2

• Set one year after Mike and Abby's escape, with the duo dragged back into danger
• More of what worked in the first film, but pushed much harder
• Roughly double the animatronics, including withered and Toy variants plus new game characters
• Scarier tone overall, with more jump scares and a darker psychological edge
• Animatronics built by Henson's team, including at least one monster that needs nine operators and two heads to perform
• Teases that the animatronics may break into the real world, with a fresh spin on how they move and hunt

Release date

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 hits theaters on December 5. Clear your schedule, maybe sleep with a nightlight, and do not open any strange doors.