Horror news: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ trailer teases progression over first film
The highly anticipated trailer for the Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel dropped on July 24, exciting fans with what’s to come in December.
The cinematic sequel is based on the popular indie video game franchise of the same name, which was established in 2014 and is now worth around an impressive $1 billion.
Film News Blitz’s Amelie Da Costa explains why this new trailer hints at an improvement over the previous Five Nights at Freddy’s film.
A polarising first entry
The long-awaited Five Nights at Freddy’s film didn’t land as well as the creators had hoped upon its release in 2023, with a score of 32% critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, although it did score 86% with audiences.
The film's production faced criticism, with many viewers feeling that the movie was made on a low budget, as well as the storyline, which was significantly different from the original game’s narrative.
Still, despite the backlash, Universal doubled down and decided to move forward with the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, bolstered by an impressive global box office return of $297 million for the first entry.
A popular new trailer
To get the fans of the games excited for the release of the new film, Universal dropped a new trailer for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 this past week.
In less than 24 hours, the trailer has racked up 6.5 million views on YouTube alone and has many fans talking.
The trailer opens with a group of teenagers filming around the abandoned Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria, bringing to life the in-game feel of looking through security cameras.
It gives snippets of the iconic original animatronics that are featured in the first movie and paints the place as a dark and creepy building.
Balloon Boy is also shown through the camcorder, which is a character that made his debut in the second game.
The original characters also feature in the trailer, and it is known that Josh Hutcherson, Mckenna Grace, Matthew Lillard and Elizabeth Lail are all returning for the sequel.
Fans have responded enthusiastically to the trailer, with many being pleasantly surprised by the creepy visuals and twists shown throughout.
The trailer also confirms what fans were hoping for: the producers have listened to the criticism and made the sequel look true to the game's roots, and increased the horror factor.
The film is set to release in theatres on December 5, 2025, and the filmmakers have once again set a high standard for the movie.
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