FRIGHT NIGHTZ

ONE, TWO, FREDDY FAZBEAR'S COMING BACK FOR YOU... GET READY FOR FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2

- ROBBIE DUNLOP

BASED ON THE SMASH-hit videogame series in which players try to survive five nights in a rundown pizzeria stalked by animatronic mascots, Five Nights At Freddy's became both the top-grossing horror film of 2023 and Blumhouse’s biggest box office success to date.

“It exceeded all of our expectations,” director Emma Tammi tells SFX. “You never know whether or not a pre-existing fanbase will embrace a new adaptation of their beloved treasure, so the fact that this landed with them and felt authentic to the world was fantastic. It was certainly what we were hoping for.”

Tammi says there had always been hopes of continuing the story, and after the film’s success, she didn’t hesitate to return for a second helping. “The idea of being able to all get back together and build off what we started, in a way that felt like what the fanbase was hoping for and what we were collectively excited about - expanding the world, expanding the characters and certainly expanding the animatronics - was just a really, really exciting opportunity.”

FAZBEAR’S FOLLOWUP

Set a year and a half after the events of the first film, Five Nights At Freddy's 2 follows former night watchman Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) as they try to rebuild something resembling normal lives. “They talk about getting back to a place that feels like a normal rhythm of life and socialisation and whatnot,” Tammi explains. “Of course, all the baggage from movie one is still with them. Whether or not they’re admitting that, it comes creeping back!”