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What began as a spine-tingling, intense video game created by Scott Cawthon in 2014 has evolved into a diluted horror franchise aimed at the R.L. Stine audience. At least the “Goosebumps” series of books, designed for middle schoolers, combined humor with spooky themes. Judging by “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” the filmmakers are targeting a younger audience, possibly elementary school-aged, who enjoyed Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” which, by the way, could have made an excellent horror film featuring the late Udo Kier as a German librarian warning about capitalism while battling insects craving junk food.

In this sequel to the 2023 film, Josh Hutcherson reprises his role as Mike Schmidt, a former mall security guard turned night watchman, with Piper Rubio again playing Mike’s younger sister Abby, now 11 years old. The two try to lead normal lives a year after their encounter with the animatronic pizza mascots Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.

Elizabeth Lail returns as police officer Vanessa Shelly, who discovers in the first film that she is the daughter of serial killer William Afton (Matthew Lillard). He murdered numerous children and hid their bodies in the animatronics, which are now possessed by the spirits of the kids. Yes, Afton was killed by his creations in the first movie, which grossed nearly $300 million, so Lillard is brought back for the sequel, which features a new addition: Skeet Ulrich, reuniting the “Scream” Ghostface killers. Unfortunately, the two don’t share any scenes. Be sure to stay for the mid-credits scene, which teases the possibility of a third film that follows the storyline of the third video game.

Theodus Crane is back as Mike’s friend and former coworker, Jeremiah. Wayne Knight (best known for playing Newman on “Seinfeld”) joins the cast as Abby’s science teacher, Mr. Berg. His predictable fate is sealed by his tendency to be a Class-A jerk. Newcomers also include Freddy Carter as a sleazy security guard, along with McKenna Grace and Teo Briones as paranormal investigators.

Series creator Cawthorn wrote the screenplay, which relies heavily on fan service. There are tons of Easter eggs for gamers, but not much for anyone else. Director Emma Tammi, who helmed the first film, struggles to craft a cohesive storyline that makes sense to viewers unfamiliar with the games. There are many cool ideas here; the potential is off the charts, so it’s mind-boggling that FNAF2 is so sanitized.

The film begins with a flashback to 1982, where a young girl named Charlotte Emily (Audrey Lynn-Marie) witnesses the abduction of a little boy at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, during peak operating hours when a billion birthday parties are taking place. The opener asks viewers to set aside all logic for the next hour and forty-four minutes. A gruesome act is committed that sets up the film’s possessed antagonist, but it plays more like a PSA for “stranger danger” between shows on Nick Jr.

Later in the film, an animatronic kills someone by crushing their skull, but there’s no blood, no gore, and not much in the sound department — in other words, no horror. All I’m saying is a stalk of celery goes a long way when you rely on imagination.

We get two sets of animatronics in the sequel: the new shiny “Toy” mascots, which are advanced plastic-like versions of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy created for a 1987 location, and the withered originals from the first film. It’s confusing if you’re not a FNAF diehard, as is most of the plot.

The present day is set in 2002, where a FazFest occurs (a bit early?) as residents dress as their favorite animatronic. Guess who crashes the party? Hutcherson transitions from playing the main protagonist of the first film to a side character who spends most of his time on a computer trying to hack into the killer robots. I can’t say that Lail gets to expand on her traumatized Vanessa character, but she does get an interesting dream sequence — as will a few audience members who may doze off in those comfortable recliners. Rubio, at least, delivers a solid performance as Abby, who is at the forefront of the story.

Abby misses her animatronic friends, and the feeling is mutual. Something happens to her character that allows Rubio to have fun with the role. I also enjoyed the debut of Marionette, the “Toy” puppet who looks like a sock monkey wearing a porcelain mask with red cheeks and black eyes.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” features zero frights and no humor. The only laughs come from the absurdity of the story, which begs for the appearance of more robots, as in Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, and Gypsy from “Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K).” As with the first film, critics are blasting it, while fans seem to be embracing the sequel. Deadline reported it was the biggest post-Thanksgiving opening weekend for a December horror film. I see a haunted house in the future.

(2 stars)

Now showing in theaters