They’re not just at Freddy’s anymore.
In 2023, Blumhouse’s box-office horror phenomenon Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the blockbuster game series by Scott Cawthon, became the highest-grossing horror film of the year. Now, a shocking new chapter of animatronic terror begins in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first ever Fazfest.
Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades.
As the sequel prepares to terrify audiences all over again – and fans can now buy tickets to sessions commencing from December 4th – Peter Gray spoke to Hutcherson about the absurdity of horror acting, what part of his character he wanted to explore the most in the sequel, and which animatronic would he personally team up with to survive one night at Freddy’s.
I wanted to ask you first up with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, horror acting is very physical. Reactions, breath, tension, but then this film also demands internal storytelling from you. How did you find truth in the heightened supernatural circumstances here?
It can be challenging. It can definitely be challenging. Especially when you’re mixing, not only the horror and the internal stuff, but the kind of absurdity that is animatronics haunted by ghost children. You got to ignore certain logic parts of your brain. Which, as an actor, you sort of do all the time anyways. You know, when someone’s holding a gun at you, it’s not going to kill you. Or when there’s a stunt happening, it’s a safety thing. But it is tricky sometimes. But I think the work that we did, especially me and Emma (Tammi, director) working on understanding (my character’s) journey emotionally. That always gave me a base of something that felt honest to go back to.
I was going to ask about that, because so much of the first film he’s haunted by guilt and memory. Finding him now, what part of him did you want to explore the most?
Yeah, I think for me, I was excited about exploring (my character) Mike. In the first movie, he’s very much in his head and troubled by the past and what could have been different. Trying to find an answer about something that already happened. Whereas, I think that what he’s learned is to try and be more present and take of what’s in front of him, which is Abby, which is right now. I was excited to see how that would manifest itself. We meet them at the start of the second movie and they’re in a better place, but then Freddy’s happens again, and so it makes it difficult to be okay.
And I was speaking to Emma about how obviously Five Nights at Freddy’s fans are passionate. We’ll say horror fans are very passionate people. You’ve done franchises before, but what feels different about being a part of something like this, where the audience has built the mythology themselves?
It’s amazing. I mean, the fandom of the FNAF world is unparalleled. It’s so die hard. It’s wildly creative, too, which is really cool. To see the stuff the fans are making, and how they get involved, how they see the story and what they’re trying to uncover, it’s also intimidating, because you want to do something that they love. And I know that in making the sequel, a lot of attention was put on making something that the die hard fans are going to completely love, and it’s much scarier, so that message was heard that (the first film) wasn’t scary enough. We definitely cranked it up, which I was very happy about. Yeah, it’s cool to be a part of something that has a big following. Intimidating, but very cool.
Was there ever a moment making this film where you thought, “Okay, this is what the fans are going to lose themselves over!”?
There’s a few moments that I can’t tell you. But, yes, moments that involve multiple animatronics that I think the fans, and especially the die hards, are going to be, like, “What? That’s crazy!”
And speaking of animatronics. If you could step into this game for one night and survive, is there an animatronic that you would want on your side to help you?
I would say, probably Foxy. Foxy is one that’s always fast, and he has a hook for a hand! Foxy would be a great teammate.
I’m excited to see where this film goes, knowing it’s been amped up.
Yeah, it’s amped up everything, but it hasn’t lose the essence of being based in a good story. I think that was key to not lose that, because there are a lot of people who saw the (first) movie that didn’t know anything about all the lore, and what this means or that means, and so we want to make a great movie, first and foremost. But make a great movie that if you’re a super fan, it hits even harder. And that’s what we did.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is screening in Australian theatres from December 4th, 2025, before arriving in the United States on December 5th.
Tickets for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 are now available to purchase.
