by Josh Sewell
I was a huge chicken as a teenager, so other than generational classics like Scream, I missed a lot of ’90s-’00s era horror movies. That includes the Final Destination franchise, which became a genre favorite thanks to its Rube Goldberg-style death sequences that dispatch characters in bloody, convoluted detail.
The series totaled five loosely connected entries, varying in quality, from the original in 2000 through the supposed finale in 2011. However, nothing is permanent in Hollywood, so we’re getting the legacyquel/reboot Final Destination: Bloodlines this weekend. To prepare for its release, I took the time to finally catch up with the previous flicks.
I’m glad I did. While all the Final Destination movies aren’t winners, their track record is still solid, boasting a level of creativity that is sorely missing from modern horror flicks. (In case you’re wondering, it’s a tie between 2 and 5 as the best, with 1 and 3 on the next tier. We’ll pretend the godawful 4 didn’t happen.) But that doesn’t include the latest installment, which might be the strongest so far.
Bloodlines takes audiences back to the beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice. Plagued by a horrific recurring nightmare, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) heads home to reconnect with her grandmother Iris (played by Gabrielle Rose in the present and Brec Bassinger in the past), who survived a catastrophic high-rise restaurant disaster that left her a recluse for most of her life. The rest of the family thinks she’s just a crazy old lady, but Stefani realizes she might not be so paranoid after all.
It turns out Iris had a premonition of the restaurant’s horrific collapse and saved the lives of everyone before it happened. That’s a whole lot of people who avoided their intended doom, then went on to have children and grandchildren who weren’t supposed to exist. Now Death is working overtime to correct the mistake, and Stefani’s family is next on the hit list.
The previous installments of Final Destination were mean-spirited and darkly funny because most of the characters were so awful that viewers couldn’t help but root for their inevitable deaths. In Bloodlines, the gruesome fates that befall various family members – while still perversely creative – pack a more tragic punch since nobody is outright despicable.
Directing duo Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, along with screenwriters Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor (working from a story they crafted with Spider-Man director Jon Watts), put in the effort of establishing each character’s personality and backstory. They’re not just cannon fodder for Death – most of them seem like real, albeit flawed, people.
What’s more, the characters are played by actors ranging from teens to senior citizens (including Richard Harmon, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Teo Briones, Owen Patrick Joyner and Alex Zahara), so the gruesome deaths aren’t the result of immature kids making stupid decisions because they don’t know they’re in a horror movie. They meet brutal ends while having a backyard barbecue, or jogging, or because a penny falls out of a random person’s change purse.
However, the most moving aspect of Bloodlines is the brief appearance of Tony Todd, in one of his final performances, as coroner William Bludworth. The franchise mainstay (perhaps best known for his terrifying work in Candyman) died last year and knew he was ill at the time of filming, so his appearance packs a surprisingly emotional punch.
Although he’s talking to the movie’s protagonists, his monologue about living life to the fullest also serves as a goodbye to fans. I would’ve never predicted that a horror movie would get me choked up, but it happened nevertheless.
Coming from someone who’s not an expert in the genre and only immersed myself in the world of Final Destination within the last couple of weeks, I thought Bloodlines was a blast. If I had such a good time, I’m guessing longtime fans are going to love it.
Although it cribs from other recent horror legacyquels – especially David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy – it’s much more original, set on forging a new path for the series rather than relying on nostalgic plot retreads. I wouldn’t mind seeing the property used as a playground for up-and-coming filmmakers. The premise is broad enough that all kinds of creators could tackle it from various interesting perspectives.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language. Opens in theaters on May 16.
Grade: B+
I’m glad I did. While all the Final Destination movies aren’t winners, their track record is still solid, boasting a level of creativity that is sorely missing from modern horror flicks. (In case you’re wondering, it’s a tie between 2 and 5 as the best, with 1 and 3 on the next tier. We’ll pretend the godawful 4 didn’t happen.) But that doesn’t include the latest installment, which might be the strongest so far.
Bloodlines takes audiences back to the beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice. Plagued by a horrific recurring nightmare, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) heads home to reconnect with her grandmother Iris (played by Gabrielle Rose in the present and Brec Bassinger in the past), who survived a catastrophic high-rise restaurant disaster that left her a recluse for most of her life. The rest of the family thinks she’s just a crazy old lady, but Stefani realizes she might not be so paranoid after all.
It turns out Iris had a premonition of the restaurant’s horrific collapse and saved the lives of everyone before it happened. That’s a whole lot of people who avoided their intended doom, then went on to have children and grandchildren who weren’t supposed to exist. Now Death is working overtime to correct the mistake, and Stefani’s family is next on the hit list.
The previous installments of Final Destination were mean-spirited and darkly funny because most of the characters were so awful that viewers couldn’t help but root for their inevitable deaths. In Bloodlines, the gruesome fates that befall various family members – while still perversely creative – pack a more tragic punch since nobody is outright despicable.
Directing duo Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, along with screenwriters Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor (working from a story they crafted with Spider-Man director Jon Watts), put in the effort of establishing each character’s personality and backstory. They’re not just cannon fodder for Death – most of them seem like real, albeit flawed, people.
What’s more, the characters are played by actors ranging from teens to senior citizens (including Richard Harmon, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Teo Briones, Owen Patrick Joyner and Alex Zahara), so the gruesome deaths aren’t the result of immature kids making stupid decisions because they don’t know they’re in a horror movie. They meet brutal ends while having a backyard barbecue, or jogging, or because a penny falls out of a random person’s change purse.
However, the most moving aspect of Bloodlines is the brief appearance of Tony Todd, in one of his final performances, as coroner William Bludworth. The franchise mainstay (perhaps best known for his terrifying work in Candyman) died last year and knew he was ill at the time of filming, so his appearance packs a surprisingly emotional punch.
Although he’s talking to the movie’s protagonists, his monologue about living life to the fullest also serves as a goodbye to fans. I would’ve never predicted that a horror movie would get me choked up, but it happened nevertheless.
Coming from someone who’s not an expert in the genre and only immersed myself in the world of Final Destination within the last couple of weeks, I thought Bloodlines was a blast. If I had such a good time, I’m guessing longtime fans are going to love it.
Although it cribs from other recent horror legacyquels – especially David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy – it’s much more original, set on forging a new path for the series rather than relying on nostalgic plot retreads. I wouldn’t mind seeing the property used as a playground for up-and-coming filmmakers. The premise is broad enough that all kinds of creators could tackle it from various interesting perspectives.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language. Opens in theaters on May 16.
Grade: B+
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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