CinemaCon has been the gift that keeps on giving to horror fans. From 28 Years Later to I Know What You Did Last Summer and multiple upcoming Blumhouse projects, we've gotten new looks at several of this year's most highly-anticipated horror movies. Jason Blum himself arrived on stage at the event to present the first teaser for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 while wearing a Toy Freddy costume.
The sequel will primarily adapt the second entry in the popular series of point-and-click survival horror games. It will feature the return of the main characters from the 2023 film, including Josh Hutcherson as former security guard Mike, Piper Rubio as his little sister Abby, and Matthew Lillard as the villainous William Afton. Elizabeth Lail also returns as Afton's daughter, Vanessa.
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This time around, the animatronic violence isn't confined to the infamous pizzeria. Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie are shown roaming outside, and they've gotten a toy overhaul. The teaser previews the toy versions of the characters.
But that's not all. The teaser also provides a quick glimpse of Mangle, a major antagonist from the series who first appears in the second game. In the games, Mangle is the result of Fazbear Entertainment's attempt at creating a "toy" Foxy. When they place the new Foxy in the Kid's Cove, the children tear it apart, resulting in a version of the animatronic that is intentionally left behind to be broken and repaired until "Foxy" is no more and instead becomes a disfigured and frightening amalgamation of different animatronic endoskeletons and other body parts.
Mangle is one of the most terrifying animatronic designs from the games, so the fact that it will be included in the new movie gives fans hope that Five Nights at Freddy's 2 will be much scarier than the 2023 movie. Although the first live-action adaptation made more than $297.1 million at the box office, some were disappointed by the film's "beginner horror" vibes and lack of genuine scares.
In addition to Emma Tammi returning to direct the sequel, Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon also came back to write the script, this time on his own versus sharing writing duties with Tammi and Seth Cuddeback for the first film.
However, Lillard previously confirmed that the sequel will maintain its PG-13 rating. That makes sense. The games are technically aimed at a pre-teen audience, so the PG-13 rating is sensible and allows younger fans to see it in theaters.
Apart from Mangle, the teaser also hints at the arrival of The Puppet by using the animatronic's music box score, a tactic Blumhouse also employed for the end credits of the 2023 movie.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 will be released in theaters on December 5.