🐥 Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (2025): In Dolby Atmos

4 Out of 5 Bags 💰💰💰💰💰

Written by Jonathan Garcia

Five Nights At Freddy's 2

Okay why did they have the Dolby Atmos showing at 11PM?! Leaving the Freddy Fazbears at 1AM with a fear of flesh eating animatronics and a huge hope that there would be good ones that save my life. The Dolby Atmos for FNAF 2 consistently has you on edge in suspense with our blood pumping! I wasn’t familiar with the community of FNAF and that theater was PACKED OUT! Everyone felt the suspense and you hear groups making fun of each other for being audibly and visibly scared. It was a fun and funny time with the FNAF squad. What really made me more interested was how many people I overheard anticipating the Dolby Atmos in excitement or actually a few saying it was their first film in Dolby… bold!! Lets talk about FNAF!!!

🎧 Dolby Atmos 

(The immersive balance, depth, panning, creativity and immersive experience the film holds.)

As soon as the film kicks off, the Dolby Atmos is in full effect. Soundscape drastically changed from people chatting in a theater and we are placed directly in the cellar of William Afton. We hear off screen motion in the dark rooms of metal banging and moving. The anticipation building is insane. We begin to hear announcements that fill the room with music feeling full and supporting the ominous energy that’s been building. It felt like full immersion. The transition to an oldschool Freddy Fazbear felt like chaos. My only real world experience is attending some family birthday parties at a famous mouse’s pizza place and they NAILED the chaos happening all around you at every moment during these scenes. 

The height channels felt very integral to many of the scenes and added depth to the art of the film that literally goes over our heads (ha, meaning sometimes these moves are done so well we enjoy the movie so much more due to these tiny details.)

The “Marionette rising” as the chains are being raised (and we feel and hear them being raised) makes you follow the audio like we were marveling at a real spectacle.

The crashing into the water was so nice, when the water submerges us alongside the characters falling into the water. The combination of panning and LFE make these moments feel real for the viewers! The immersive work done audibly and visually to transport us into the fun ferocious world of Freddy Fazbear’s is a job well done.

🎛️ Sonic Texture

(Overall sonic experience of the film)

The sonic feel and journey of FNAF2 is bold, detailed, rich and constantly terrifying. It felt like there was detail in the frequency selection of each element. Not just an overall EQ on the group. There were areas where the high end was shining and parts where things got dull and horrifying. Just as the picture calls for. The music was filling and never lacking character. In general there were no harsh and painful moments due to an imbalance in the mix somewhere. Some of the music was mixed so well it gave a feeling as this was a music mix and not just for the film. It felt like an album being played. A creepy, hardcore, impactful, wild album lol. That being said, the music being as full and fulfilling as it was, it never over steps or effects the dialogue negatively. The same goes for all the chaos that is consistently happening audibly more than visually most of the time. The constant clanks of metal, voices in the wind, consistent eeriness, and subtleness of the music and ambience adds that never stops. 

🔊 Dynamics & Loudness

(Thinking as a Mastering Engineer, How is the overall master volume, Is it too compressed/Limited, How are the transients)

FNAF 2 gets LOUD! There are some good dynamics but the floor starts out LOUD lol. The volume never gets to be too much or painful though, which is a huge benefit as a viewer. I enjoy not needing to worry about losing my hearing. Since the film generally starts loud they really bait us for the jump scares. Moments like “meeting Michael" we’re hit with the full capacity of LFE and glossy sonic transitions that haven’t yet been introduced causing the entire theater to take a deep breath... It's just Michael. ;p lol Everything was always audible though, like the glass cracking and the shallow breaths. The dynamic range wasn't the biggest, but it definitely was never limited by any means. 

🎚️ LFE

(How big of a role does the LFE play, Is it beneficial, creative, or useless)

The LFE was the star of the show! It was never muddy and never felt overused. Even with the power of the first jump scare. When we are introduced to the animatronics their walking SHOOK MOUNTAINS!!! Just when you think the LFE can’t get pushed any farther, you get Freddy's footsteps, secret machine rooms, intense run sequences and consistent new jump scares and you start to find out we’re only getting started...

🎬 Favorite Moments

• The intro: Immediate full immersion. Not playing any games, goodluck. Welcome to Freddy’s!!!

• Raise the Marionette: Hearing the mechanisms pan up and having it give the visceral feeling of the marionette being lifted above, in front of us in the theater was an epic moment. 

• The Footsteps: Okay!! These animatronics must weigh at the very least 3 houses. You would think Galactus touched down and we needed the Fantastic Four!!! But no, it’s just Freddy…

• Splashing Around: When our characters fall into the water the panning going up and submerging us is A1. The way this created the feeling as if the viewer is the one falling is such a nice touch. If the LFE was used any less or if there were more conservative with the placement and panning this would probably not translate well. 

• TV Static: When Vanessa teleports to the other world and is guided by the TV static. Similar to a move from the “Smashing Machine”. The TV static is our environmental anchor in this haunted world. It always stays in the same place and is audible as we move around it throughout the house.

• Chica Crush: The crushing sound of the head is so immersive. The audio MAKES that moment. It's completely intense.

• The Music: Overall, the music felt like it was done by an immersive music mixer. It felt like an album and not just supporting music to a film. The detail was immense and made me wonder if the people who did this mix enjoy hiphop? 

💡 Final Thoughts

4 Out of 5 Bags 💰💰💰💰

4 out of 5 Bags!!! Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is an extremely creepy time with a lot of fun people and some not so bad animatronics. The film doesn’t hold back with its use of Dolby Atmos, using it to transport us to the world of Freddy Fazbear. The only reason this gets 4 bags and not 5, is because there is a good amount of stereo moments happening throughout that just don’t feel like we’re experiencing Dolby Atmos. These moments however are moments you have to intentionally notice. The amount of love you heard from people leaving the theater saying the Dolby Atmos was amazing, felt amazing. FNAF2 is a fun experience with an interesting story and great group of friends! I recommend watching it in Dolby Atmos when you can and if you have, leave a comment and let us know your experience at Freddy’s!!!