‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ star McKenna Grace on why working with a female director in a horror film mattered

Five Nights at Freddy's 2, directed by Emma Tammi, proved successful in getting people out of their houses and into movie theatres for the horror sequel, and now it's available to buy or rent on digital platforms before being released on Blu-Ray and DVD next year. Based on the popular video games, as Tammi extended the storytelling, the director knew that getting darker was the way to go for both game lovers and newer fans alike.

"As the films progress, getting into darker territory is really something that the story demands, but also the fanbase has really been vocal about," Tammi told Yahoo Canada. "So we've definitely been listening to that."

Animatronics: 'Something you never thought you'd see in person.'

But a core element of the sequel film is the inclusion of more animatronics, which not only helped lean into the darker narrative throughout the movie, but also added more fun and exciting elements for everyone in front of and behind the camera to play with.

"What was so great about having already done one movie in this world with Jim Henson's Creature Shop was that we knew, to a degree, how building these characters works," Tammi said. "But what was very different in the sequel was that the designs changed a lot, and some of them were completely new kinds of beasts, if you will, to figure out."

But the at-home release also includes bonus features on the animatronics, including one specifically about Mangle, a particular favourite, and what Tammi described as one of the "most complicated" but "coolest" animatronic characters to work with for the film.

"I probably snuck over to the animatronic workshop every single day that I was on set, just to go look at them again," one of the film's stars, McKenna Grace, who plays Lisa, said. "The Creature Shop did such an incredible job on those pieces. ... Anyone who watches the movie, fan of 'Five Nights at Freddy's' or not, can attest to that, that the animatronics look so cool."

"And for me, Mangle and Funtime Foxy were always my favourite animatronics growing up, so getting to see Mangle live and in action and in front of you was just crazy. But the animatronics, getting to see them for the first time, especially the scale of how huge they are and how much they tower over you whenever they're standing, was very, very impressive and just something you never thought you'd see in person."

Women directors in horror: 'She ran the set with so much care'

Grace came into Five Nights at Freddy's 2 as a huge fan of the video games, and she felt particularly passionate about being part of this film. Tammi shared that one of her favourite things about working with Grace was how the actor asked to incorporate a Marionette line from the game into the film, while Grace highlighted how exciting it was to work with a female director for a horror film.

"I've been so fortunate to have worked with so many incredible, very talented, just dream directors in my career. But I really have not worked with a lot of female directors over the past like 14 years, and especially not in horror," Grace said.

"And so to get to have Emma, this incredible director who's also a woman to look up to in this horror franchise, in my favorite franchise, and just getting to see how she ran the set with so much care. And how much she cared about what I thought of the story and of the animatronics and of the sets as a fan, ... it made me rest very assured, as such a big fan, that the franchise was in very, very good hands. So it was wonderful getting to work with her and getting to work with her as my wonderful director. She led that set beautifully."

But Grace also highlighted that she's still in the process of "learning how to use [her] voice" on set.

"Especially coming from being a child actor, I feel like you're ... taught growing up that it's very easy to be labelled as like difficult to work with, or bratty, ... just for speaking up or trying to stand up for something that you feel passionate about," Grace said. "I think that's something that I've worked on and taught myself, but there is always a part of me in the back of my mind that's like, 'Oh god, I don't want to be that girl to work with, or that girl on set.' But I always at least try to speak up for the things that I feel passionate about."

"Maybe there's been a bit of an evolution, but more so just because it's cool to see myself be older on a set, not the kid on a set. And so now I do feel like my voice is taken a bit more into consideration and matters a bit more. And I guess I'm still in the midst of learning how to use my voice."

It has also been well-documented at this point that not only is Grace a fantastic actor who truly loves the Five Nights at Freddy's world, but she is also bringing her own fan base into this franchise.

"I feel like whenever you're in the public eye, you always see the negative things about yourself," Grace said. "I feel like people are like, 'Oh my god, she works too much,' or 'She's doing too much.' I don't know guys, I'm just trying to work."

"So that's the craziest thing to me, that somebody would want to watch something, especially something that I'm such a big fan of, and that I follow along with, just because I would be a part of something. That's a wild concept to me. So I mean, that definitely means a lot. It's really, really crazy to think about. ... And walking around and hearing, 'Are you the girl from Five Nights at Freddy's?' Has been mindboggling to me. ... I'm the biggest Five Nights at Freddy's fan, so to be known from that franchise is very weird to me."

Warning: Spoiler for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 included beyond this point

Where a third 'Five Nights at Freddy's' movie could go

Tammi highlighted that everyone involved in the Five Nights at Freddy's hopes to complete a trilogy, particularly with the cliffhangers audiences are left with in the second movie, as well as the enticing post-credit scenes.

The film ends with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) being possessed by Charlotte, as she starts to transform into a Marionette-looking creature, after Mike (Josh Hutcherson) tells Vanessa he can't trust her.

Then, mid-credits, we see three men in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, where they discover a hidden room and find the Springtrap, a yellow rabbit animatronic suit wrapped in plastic, which William Afton (Matthew Lillard) died in at the end of the first movie.

And right at the end of the credits, we hear Skeet Ulrich's voice as Henry, who confirms that he was Afton's former partner in creating the animatronics, and warns Mike that the Marionette is "coming for you."

"I think there's definitely more story to tell, and it seems as though the audiences would be excited to see a third, so fingers crossed," Tammi said. "If you're a fan of the world, both of the post-credit scene and then also the final post-credit audio. "The first post-credit scene is one of my favourite moments in the movie, because I also just think that the cast that we get a glimpse of is so incredibly strong and fun. ... And then obviously getting to have the reveal of what they're looking at at the end."

"Knowing that the third film, again, if we should be lucky enough to make one, is going to be dipping more into the universe of Springtrap, is just so exciting. ... And then, of course, having that companion beat where we get to hear Skeet Ulrich's character, who, of course, has great significance to Springtrap and William Afton, ... they just feel like exactly the right beats to get us excited for what could still lie ahead. ... I guess the real cliffhanger comes right before that, with Vanessa, and that is another moment that, for me, just gives me chills every time."