MOVIE NEWS – One of the biggest surprises in Five Nights at Freddy’s was the casting of Matthew Lillard as the villain. The actor, who first made his mark as one of the masked killers in the slasher classic Scream, has since gained a loyal fan base. Given how well Lillard’s appearance worked, it made perfect sense to bring in Scream’s other masked psychopath, Skeet Ulrich, as another antagonist in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

The news gained traction when both actors appeared at this year’s Silver Scream Con, dedicated to celebrating the Scream franchise, where they teased fans about the upcoming sequel. While Ulrich’s exact role remains under wraps, it’s suggested he’ll play a character similar to Lillard’s. Lillard himself revealed that he was initially hesitant to accept the part of William Afton, as the script gave him only two lines. “I asked director Emma Tammi what I was even doing in this movie – and she told me: you’re the Voldemort of this universe, they can’t make it without you. So I said: I’m in!”

Five Nights at Freddy’s is a prime example of how fan support can turn a film into a phenomenon. Critics may not have been impressed, but audiences flocked to see it: with a modest $20 million budget, the movie grossed $297 million, becoming Blumhouse Productions’ most profitable project to date. The studio has already made clear that sequels are on the way to expand the terrifying saga of haunted animatronics.

(Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – U.S. release date: December 4, 2025)