How Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Sets Up a Third (And Fourth) Film in the Horror Franchise With Major Cameos

When the first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie was released in 2023, many thought that the window for an adaptation of the games had closed. Despite this lingering feeling, and a simultaneous release on Peacock as well as movie theaters, the Blumhouse production managed to gross nearly $300 million globally, becoming the biggest movie of all time from Jason Blum’s horror house and ensuring that a sequel would no doubt see the light of day. Now, two years later, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has arrived and picked up the baton from its predecessor, while also gearing up to hand off the story to the next movie in the series.

Five Nights at Freddy’s fans shouldn’t be surprised that the horror franchise is clearly thinking two steps ahead. The games from series creator Scott Cawthon have been sprawling in nature, with a narrative that goes across multiple mainline video games, spinoff titles, comics, and even books. So there’s no shortage of material to mine from when it comes to the next movies, but what’s clear from Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is exactly what’s coming next.

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Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Credit Scene Teases What’s Next

Before the credits roll in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, there are two lingering plot threads that make it clear where the next sequel is headed. At the end of the film, the main characters survive Charlotte’s attempt at ghostly revenge when her “Toy” animatronics are defeated by the ghost-possessed animatronics from the first film. It’s a last act of heroism from the ghost kids; they use what little connection they still have to the world to save Abby and Mike, but in doing so, Garrett’s spirit notes that they won’t be able to “hold him back.” The second plot thread is right before the cut to black, as Charlotte, aka the Marionette, slithers her way down the hall and possesses Vanessa.

In a mid-credits scene, a trio of friends break into the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza from the first movie, where we learn they’re stealing authentic props for a haunted attraction as the building is scheduled to be torn down the next day. In their exploring, they come across a secret room, with a prop they can’t leave behind, an authentic springlock suit from Freddy Fazbear’s. When the camera finally reveals their find, fans of the games and the first movie will instantly recognize that this is none other than the suit worn by William Afton in the first film, which crushed and killed him. As the scene ends, the eyes begin to glow just like Springtrap from the Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 video game, setting up a very similar plot.

Finally, at the end of the credits for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, a phone call can be heard as Skeet Ulrich’s character attempts to call Mike with a warning. In the call, he finally confirms to Mike that he is Henry Emily, the former business partner of William Afton (a detail conveniently left out of the film). He tries to warn Mike that Charlotte is still out there and she’ll be coming for him, only for a scream to end the call as it’s clear her spectral vengeance continues.

Another Animatronic Confirmed Plans for Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

Though all of this makes it clear what’s going to happen in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, there’s a tease earlier in the film that is clearly planting some seeds for something beyond that film. In a sequence where Vanessa dreams about her childhood home, her character enters her father’s workshop, where blueprints, designs, and test builds for the animatronics can be found. After stepping behind a shelf to try to hide, Vanessa finds another animatronic, fully assembled and standing in the room: Baby Doll.

Fans of the Five Nights at Freddy’s games will recognize this terrifying animatronic immediately as one of the central characters from Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location. This marks the first time that the Five Nights at Freddy’s movies have hinted at this side of the mythology of FNAF, and seems to clearly be setting up something in the world. That said, with all the setup for Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 that the second movie ends with, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that Baby Doll and the Sister Location animatronics are being set up to appear in the fourth film or even a spinoff. That remains unconfirmed, however, with no concrete plans for a third movie even announced as of yet.