The year is 2000. Spring break is coming to an end. You and your friends look to see what’s playing at the local theatre and decide to see Final Destination. Little did you know that a new fear would be unlocked. What sprung from a single choice by leaving an airplane after having a premonition of it crashing to death seeking revenge for cheating it, you can’t escape it.
What started as a spec script for an episode of The X-Files, Final Destination has had quite a significant impact in the horror genre. Known for its unique premise by having death as its antagonist and its memorable creative deaths, Final Destination left a significant impact on horror fans making them not only fear death itself, but also driving behind log trucks. It’s been 14 years since the fifth instalment, and it’s great to see fans still excited and heading to the theatres to witness Death on the big screen that it truly deserves.
I was three years old when it first came out, so I didn’t get to see the first film till I was in grade 8/9. And boy did it scare the crap out of me. I couldn’t picture myself getting on an airplane again, much less wanting to sleep all night. I told myself I wouldn’t watch the second one… until I did and got traumatized by the log truck scene and dentist scene. Looking back I was way too young to watch those movies obviously, but that along with Beetlejuice, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw, Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror, to name a few, it did help peak my love for the horror genre. So of course when I heard that a sixth instalment was coming out, I was excited. Coincidentally, this year happens to be the 25th anniversary of the first instalment, the question is “was Death’s arrival worth the wait?” The answer, yes and no.
Much like the first five instalments of the series, a person gets a premonition of grisly deaths including their own and prevents them through one single event. The unlucky contender is Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) a heartthrob who’s feeling eerily on this particular day. Her boyfriend Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) surprises her with a trip to the newly opened skyline tower that just so happened to finish construction earlier than expected. Unfortunately, Iris experiences the premonition that everyone on the tower, including her love Paul and herself, perished as the tower collapses. Once she has that premonition, she’s able to act quickly and prevent the accident from ever happening. This kickstarts Death’s revenge towards the survivors who were meant to die then puts its own twist with over the top madness.
Unlike the previous instalments that take the course of a few days, Bloodlines switches up the formula a bit to have the premonition occur during the 60s and not only save around 10-ish people but close to around 100 or more. Only then, Death catches up to Iris decades later when her granddaughter Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) begins to have that same premonition Iris had in the form of a dream. Not sure what to do, Iris tracks down a now older Iris (Gabrielle Rose), only to learn that Death has finally caught up to Iris and her family and begins its grisly hunt to kill each and every family member that was never meant to be born. Can Stefani prevent Death’s rampage on her family?
The Final Destination series has been known for its creative and over the top deaths, and seeing Bloodlines continue to have that is satisfying to say the least. I’ve felt myself internally scream “No!” during Death’s little teasers (looking at you, broken glass cup). The filmmakers had put in a lot of effort to make the deaths not only terrifying but darkly comedic and memorable and something I have to give credit to. They never felt like copy and paste deaths from previous films, and time and effort were placed to make them the most fun deaths to watch.
The standout star of Bloodlines is Mississauga’s very own Richard Harmon. Whenever he was on the screen as the eldest brother, Erik Campbell stole the spotlight and his “I don’t give a crap” attitude provided some nice comedic relief to the movie. I look forward to watching Richard in his future movies and shows. Another shoutout to star Kaitlyn Santa Juana who has the potential scream queen star status ahead of her. Her character went through literal paranoia hell and shined throughout the movie. Her performance reminded me a lot of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott from the Wes Craven slasher series Scream. Both performances between the two characters provide captivating and sincere performances that make you root for them to survive whatever deadly obstacles come their way.
A couple of things I do want to note down is that for how much I did enjoy Bloodlines, it did not need to be an hour and 50 minutes. Some scenes dragged on a bit that didn’t need to and one particular scene that, while a bit comedic, felt out of place. When you see it, you’ll know which scene I’m referring to. Another thing is the virtual wall used. Yes, it can be useful if used correctly, but when you can clearly tell it’s in the shot it takes you right out of the film. It felt distracting because clearly it was most likely used for additional reshoots edited into what was shot on location. Another thing is the story does kind of get predictable as the story progresses. Yes, it does follow the beats of all the other films, but at least mix it up a bit. Keep the audience guessing and change the story beats up a bit.
I do want to mention that it was quite emotional seeing horror icon Tony Todd grace the screen one last time in the series. Unfortunately, Tony Todd passed away last year after a battle with cancer, but despite his battle, he pushed through to give a memorable final performance as William Bludworth. The directors allowing Tony to have creative control on his final scene was a great gesture, and his final monologue will leave a lasting impact on his legacy.
Final Destination Bloodlines provides fans of the series with a familiar new take on the story after a long 14-year hiatus. The kills are creative and over the top, the characters are worth investing, and you root for them to cheat death, and although there’s little new added to the series, it was still a fun time watching. Will I watch it again? Yes! It’s Final Destination. Much like the Saw films even if there are instalments that aren’t as good as the others, there’s still much to enjoy and never a dull moment (except for you, Saw: The Final Chapter).
Watch the trailer right here.
All images via New Line Cinema.
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein
Screenplay by Gary Busick, Lori Evans Taylor
Produced by Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Jon Watts, Dianne McGunigle, Toby Emmerich
Starring Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd, Rya Kihlstedt, Gabrielle Rose
Premiere Date: May 16, 2025
Running Time: 110 minutes
Cinema from the Spectrum 
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