FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy’s) is a popular indie horror video game franchise where you play as a night security guard at a kids restaurant. While trying to survive haunted killer animatronics at pizza restaurants you protect the building from any trespassers.  This franchise has several games, famous for its jump scares and deep dark lore involving murdered children’s souls possessing the robots, a sinister murderer (William Afton). There are 28 games created by Scott Cawthon plus all the fan made spin off games out there.

Though the lore of this endless franchise is difficult to put into words, here is a basic overview of how it all began. The games center on Fazbear Entertainment’s haunted pizza places, built by William Afton and Henry Emily. Here, murdered children’s souls possess animatronics like Freddy, Bonnie, and Foxy. The main villain, William Afton, uses these machines to kill, causing tragic events like the “Bite of ’83,” trapping spirits like Henry’s daughter Charlie in animatronics. If you’re interested in the lore of this franchise I suggest watching “The Full FNAF Timeline” by @FuhNaff on YouTube, along with other YouTube videos.

Despite how interesting the story may be, the franchise would not be what it is without the youtubers who contributed to its growth. Most well-known youtubers include MatPat (The Game Theorist), Markiplier, Jacksepticeye and of course CoryxKenshin. Some of which were featured in the FNAF movie themselves. Each of these social media personalities along with others helped grow the game’s popularity into its eventual production in the theaters. In 2014 the game skyrocketed, and YouTube content became a popular way to spread word about the uniqueness of this game.

As the date of the FNAF 2 being released came closer, fans on social media began celebrating in their own ways. There was a huge rise in cosplay, memes, and conspiracies on many platforms. Some fans even began to make their own custom FNAF popcorn themed buckets to go along with the buckets already being sold. Different areas sold different versions of the characters as buckets and cups. Some fans even traveled to several areas and theaters to collect them all.

Personally, I really enjoyed the game when I was younger. Seeing my childhood long interest come to life was very fun. There were several aspects of the movie I enjoyed. Whereas the last movie

was based on the first game, this movie was based on the second game, so one can assume the third movie might be based off the third game. Overall, movie was far scarier than the last, which is exactly what I was hoping for. The detailing on the animatronics and the scenery was perfect, and I was immediately sucked into the world of FNAF.

For starters, the casting was perfect, though some celebrities I could not have guessed were featured. Per usual, Josh Hutcherson played Mike, Piper Rubio played Abby, Elizabeth Lail played Vanessa, and Matthew Lillard played William Afton. In addition, more celebrities came to join in on the fun. Jack Black played the Marionette, Mat Pat played Toy Bonnie, Megan Fox played Toy Chica, and Cory repeated his role from the last movie as the Taxi Driver. Some fans were shocked to see Jack Black and Mat Pat’s roles in the movie, stating their vocal ranges would not be able to fit the characters they were. But they pulled through, and their voice acting kept up with the high standard the movie had. Megan Fox’s voice acting stood out to me the most, as she was playing a very girly character, she gave that feminine flare Toy Chica has always had.

My favorite aspect of this movie was how genuinely scary it was. The way everything played out really brought to life how I would imagine working at Freddy’s, is like. The way Toy Foxy (Mangle)

was introduced and depicted throughout the movie was perfect. Mangle spent the movie climbing along ceilings silently and sneak attacking unsuspecting visitors. The Marionette’s introduction was perfect as well. Every scene that she was in is incredibly creep  and unsettling, especially when she possessed others. The animation Marionette had when possessed others made her seem as if she was floating through the air, like how others may describe a sleep paralysis demon. The realism in animatronics, acting, possession, and school situations is what I really appreciated about this movie. The withered animatronics looked dirty and broken down, not fake or cheap.

Within this movie there were several easter eggs and theories that many may have missed.   Shadow Freddy was featured on a whiteboard in Abby’s class. The sister location map was drawn on a chalkboard, and a puppet saying the line “I don’t hate you, but you need to stay out of my way,” and more.

Theories have circulated around TikTok as well, with some believing Abby’s friend might be Gregory, and theorize Vanessa is Vanny. Plenty of more interesting theories exist, but my favorite is centered around Circus Baby and her eyes being green instead of blue.

Overall, the FNAF 2 movie was amazing, and I will definitely go for a rewatch. I enjoyed how realistic the movie was and how well each character was introduced, and I loved the cast and voice acting of new and old actors. All the easter eggs and little details put into it really show just how deep and never ending the history of this universe is. I look forward to the continuation of FNAF movies in the future. I recommend this movie for newcomers and old longtime fans alike.