The Five Nights at Freddy‘s franchise is iconic, and it’s been made more so by the release of a feature film by Blumhouse of the same name. Now, the trailer for a sequel, aptly dubbed Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, has been released in preparation for the movie’s debut in December, and it’s a treasure trove of references to the cult classic games. While newer fans will miss these hat tips to the games that make these movies possible, eagle-eyed veterans will be delighted by these small details and callbacks. The trailer alone is chock-full of that classic FNAF flavor,
1. The Return of the Freddy Mask
For anyone who’s played or watched a playthrough of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2—the game, not the movie the trailer promotes—the Freddy mask that Mike picks up later in the trailer is very familiar. Unlike the first FNAF movie, it appears that FNAF 2 will incorporate some of the gameplay from the game itself into the lore. Just like in the games, Mike picks the mask up and uses it to attempt to blend in with the animatronics in hope that they won’t attack him on sight. In the game, this works perfectly, but it remains to be seen if it will function as well in the movie. Many fans are excited to see more gameplay mechanics represented in the movies, as they were relatively lacking in the first one.
2. The Franchise Location
In the beginning of the trailer, one of the gaggle of teens mentions something about how the Freddy’s Pizzeria is the original location rather than the franchise location where the first movie took place. This correlates well to the games; the first game takes place in a franchised offshoot of the main restaurant, whereas the second game and movie both take place in an older, more original establishment. For long-time fans, it’s nice to see that the movies seem to be following along with the games’ established timeline, though they diverge from the plot in many areas.
3. The FazTalker’s Voice
The FazTalker toy that Abby talks to, and that eventually speaks back to her, uses a voice many veteran fans will recognize. The voice that speaks to Abby through the FazTalker matches the voice from one of the minigames in the FNAF 2 game, and delivers a similar message. In the trailer, the voice calls Abby to, “HELP US. COME FIND US.” This message mirrors the one from the game that asks the player to “S.A.V.E.T.H.E.M.” Could the two messages be referring to the same subjects?
Naysayers will attribute the voices being the same to the fact that most text to speech programs in the 90s sounded the same, but it’s more than just coincidence. Between the similarity of the message and the method of delivery, it’s safe to say that this is an intentional nod to the source material.
4. The FazTalker and Cassie’s Roxy-Talky
After hearing someone talking to her through the FazTalker, whom she likely thinks is Freddy, Abby follows its instructions to head to the game’s titular location. This is almost beat-for-beat the plot of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach‘s DLC, Ruin, wherein a little girl named Cassie follows instructions from a Roxy-Talky she finds. In Ruin, the voice behind the walkie turns out to be an imposter, so this might set up an interesting bit of foreshadowing for fans in-the-know. Who is the mysterious voice that calls Abby to find them? Is it Freddy, or someone more sinister?
5. The FNAF 2 Office, Recreated
The final and most obvious callback to the games in the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 trailer is the larger office space that gave players of the game so much trouble. Specifically, the shot with Mike pointing the flashlight down the main hall is one that every player and fan should recognize—in the games, pointing the flashlight down that hall is essential to warding off Foxy and surviving the night. Fans are interested to see whether this increased reference to the source material will see even more gameplay incorporated into the movies, and many hope that the franchise continues to stick closely to the FNAF that they know and love.
