Despite drawing some of the worst reviews of the year (11% on Rotten Tomatoes), the appeal for hardened horror fans watching Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is rooting for the big, cute animatronic dolls to slay their dimwitted young victims. Another is discovering all the buried Easter Eggs and hidden references to the overarching video game franchise that launched in 2014, of which there is no shortage this time around.
In addition to several visual nods to the 11 main FNAF video games, there are also a few sneaky audio clues and vocal links to the popular horror games and their spin-offs, created by Scott Cawthon. While avid followers of the hit gaming series may have zero trouble spotting all the granular detail and connective tissue tying into the slasher sequel, it's worth breaking down the biggest and most significant Easter Eggs in FNAF 2.
Five Nights at Candy's & Popgoes Arcade Games
Candy's Fishing game is seen in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
Director Emma Tammi wastes no time challenging fans of the FNAF game series to find three cool gaming references early in the film. A brief history lesson is presented at the beginning, with viewers shown the original Freddy Fazbear's location in 1982 to witness the origins of Charlie and the Marionette.
Inside the pizzeria, a row of three arcade games is shown. While briefly on screen, eagle-eyed fans can read the titles of the arcade games, which are labeled Five Nights at Candy's 3: Candy Fishing, Popgoes Adventure, and FNAF World. Five Nights at Candy's is an overt nod to the 2015 spin-off game of the same name, with a picture of the ferocious feline on the arcade console. Popgoes Adventure refers to the Popgoes Arcade spin-off franchise, while FNAF World recalls the 2016 spin-off RPG created by Cawthon.
Kids Can Be So Cruel/Heartless
Mangle's load-up screen appears in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Scott Cawthon games
Towards the beginning of the film, Michael Afton (Freddy Carter) gives the young Spectral Troopers a tour of the original pizza parlor, where the paranormal sleuths encounter the deadly animatronic toys. The youngsters ask Michael what happened to Roxy, to which he laments that he participated in a "failed take apart and put back together attraction."
Without missing a beat, one of the young Troopers quips, "Kids can be so heartless." This line is a direct reference to the loading screen for Mangle (aka Funtime Foxy) in the spin-off game FNAF World when the character utters, "Kids can be so cruel." If only the kids knew how cruel and heartless Freddy Fazbear is.
You Need to Stay Out of My Way!
The Puppet appears in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Scott Cawthon Games
Another line of dialogue from the gaming franchise is spoken verbatim in FNAF 2. In the 1982 timeline, viewers learn that young Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) was close with Charlie before she was slain and possessed by The Puppet. In the 2002 timeline, the older version of Vanessa speaks to her younger self and declares, "I don't hate you, but you need to stay out of my way."
The Puppet also said this exact line in the 2018 spin-off game Ultimate Custom Night. Although Vanessa does not appear in Ultimate Custom Night, her character was introduced one year later in the spin-off game Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted.
Beakless Toy Chica Pops Up Out of Nowhere
Toy Chica appears in a car in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
One of the most effective jump scares in the film comes from replicating a terrifying moment from the FNAF 2 video game. Once the deadly toys breach their arcade boundaries and venture out into the living world, a taxi driver played by YouTuber Cory DeVante Williams sets up the jump scare.
Upon picking up Abby (Piper Rubio) from Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, the taxi driver peers into the rear-view mirror. The driver is mortified to see Toy Chica, the beakless chicken animatronic toy that gives gamers a severe jump scare in FNAF 2. After nearly having a heart attack from the jump scare, the driver quips, "I've got to get a new job."
FredBear Plush Gets a Shoutout
A FredBear Plush toy is held in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
As Abby flees to Freddy's Fazbear Pizzeria location from the original movie, she's horrified to learn that her friends are absent. When Mike (Josh Hutcherson) finally catches up to her and tries to console her, he urges Abby to take an item from the Prize Counter, a concession area seen several times in the games.
Mike insists that Abby take the FazTalker, a newly minted toy created for the movie. However, Mike also suggests that Abby take the FredBear Plush Freddy Teddy Bear, a toy first introduced in the FNAF 4 video game. The FredBear Plush toy also makes a hidden cameo in FNAF World. If the franchise gets a fourth film, FredBear Plush could have a much bigger role.
Whistling Past the Graveyard
William removes his costume head in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
A familiar musical refrain can be heard at least twice in the film. At the beginning, William Afton (Scream star Matthew Lillard) begins whistling an ominous song that proves to be a homicidal harbinger. The tune William whistles is the same song that plays whenever a character dies in the inaugural Five Nights at Freddy's video game, released in 2014.
The classical notes are lifted from "Toreador March," a song from Carmen, the 1875 opera composed by Georges Bizet. Those who listen closely will also hear the same haunting refrain again when Vanessa enters her dream sequence.
Circus Baby Haunts Vanessa's Dreams
Circus Baby's eyes glow in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
Speaking of Vanessa's dream, a brief cameo by one of the least anticipated toys occurs. Inside William's workshop, a stationary Circus Baby animatronic doll creepily turns its glowing eyes towards Vanessa as she navigates her nightmare. Cricus Baby (Elizabeth Afton) is the main villain in Circus Baby's Pizza World, a location introduced in the 2016 spin-off game, FNAF: Sister Location.
Far from a cosmetic cameo, hardcore FNAF fans believe that Circus Baby's appearance serves a plot function. Considering William and Elizabeth Afton's ties to the Missing Children Incident (MCI), some fans think that Elizabeth died before the MCI as a means for William to learn about possession.
Shadow Bonnie Lights Up the Screen
Shadow Bonnie appears in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
The scariest video game Easter Egg in FNAF 2 comes in a quick, blink-and-miss-it moment. When Mike visits the first-edition pizzeria to confront the deadly dolls, he ambles down a dark corridor that ratchets the tension and suspense. Upon shining his flashlight down a presumably empty hallway, a terrifying, grinning image of Shadow Bonnie briefly lights up in the background. The creepy white round eyes, open maw, and rows of white teeth are sure to make viewers squirm in their seats.
Also known as RXQ, Shadow Bonnie is a mysterious shadow version of Toy Bonnie that crashes the game in FNAF 2 and later antagonizes the minigames in Five Nights at Freddy's 3. While many fans have lamented missing the brief cameo by taking their eyes off the screen for an inopportune moment, those who have witnessed Shadow Bonnie in the film say it's the movie's scariest moment.
The Mysterious Music Box
Vanessa touches a box in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
The cryptic contents of the locked music box in Five Nights at Freddy's 4 have been revealed in arguably the film's most plot-heavy Easter egg. In the FNAF 4 game, the box is presented at the end of Night 7, with a message attached reading, "Some things are best left forgotten, for now."
Since FNAF 4 was published in 2015, the mysterious box has never been seen again, and the contents have never been unearthed. This has prompted a decade's worth of wild fan theories and postulations. However, no more guesswork is necessary.
In the film, just as Vanessa enters her dream sequence, she retrieves a box from a cupboard that is eerily reminiscent of the FNAF 4 box. Vanessa begins fidgeting with the items in the box, which include a marble bag, a mirror, a notebook, and a toy airplane that belonged to Mike's kidnapped younger brother, Garrett. The items are disturbing keepsakes for William, who proudly locked them away as badges of honor in the video game adaptation.
Cassette Man's Post-Credits Cameo
Henry sits in the kitchen in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Universal Pictures
Patient viewers willing to sit through the credits have been treated to a sly post-credit Easter egg. In the scene, Mike receives a tape recording from Henry Emily (Skeet Ulrich), who admonishes Mike, saying he has sensitive information on William.
Henry is one of the main antagonists in Five Nights at Freddy's 6: Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Simulator, whose in-game alias is Cassette Man for his penchant for using cassette recordings. Although he's only heard vocally on a cassette recording in Pizza Simulator, the Easter egg sets up Henry, aka Cassette Man, for a potentially expanded role should more FNAF movies get made.
