Final Destination Bloodlines is a bloody good time!
The Final Destination franchise has been away for a while, with the fifth instalment arriving 14 years ago in 2011. On the 25th anniversary of the first film, a new tale of terror is arriving, but is this type of scare old fashioned? In the past decade we’ve become accustomed to elevated horror, with studios like A24 giving meaning to the jumps. Is there still a place for old-fashioned scares?
Final Destination Bloodlines follows the same premise as its five predecessors – the idea that a group of characters escape an accident that was supposed to kill then, and are then hunted by Death itself as it comes to right the balance. This time, however, that debt is owed over generations.
Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars as Stefani, a student whose life is being ruined by a recurring dream involving her grandmother Iris (Brec Bassinger) dying at a rooftop restaurant. Determined to find answers, she meets the reclusive Iris, who tells her the dream was a premonition she had in the 1960s, which led her to prevent the disaster that should have killed her. Now she and every one of her descendants is being hunted by Death itself, forcing Stefani to find a way to save her and her family from being next.
The movies have always had a unique selling point, focusing on precariously placed objects that could fall and cause the next fatality. This latest chapter shatters your nerves with near misses, looming threats, and spectacular death sequences. Put together with smooth editing and great CGI, moments such as the opening flashback and a family BBQ play out like some grizzly game of Mousetrap.
Seeing small knock-on effects leading to over-the-top gore is both unnerving and darkly entertaining, although if you’re squeamish you may want to skip the film entirely as a lot of people get turned into mush. The opening sequence establishes that anyone can have anything fly at them, creating a kind of free-for-all that’s thrilling.
The high body count and nail-biting buildups are countered by a script that never takes itself too seriously. When characters aren’t being sliced or diced, the film has a dark humour and self-awareness that works really well. Seeing the dysfunctional family at the centre of the piece mock Stefani for her earnest lore dropping pierces any self-importance that may be building, and the fact that those family members succumb to those very prophecies adds an ironic flair that will make you chuckle.
It’s a tricky balance to maintain in horror – if the protagonists are too bland, their deaths won’t mean anything; but if you care too much, their slaughter becomes harrowing. What directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein do is give you just enough story to make things intriguing, without ever delving too deeply into big questions about death or fate. Reworking the formula as a family curse means that it feels fresh, inventive, and fun in the way that the best Scream movies can be.
While it may satirise parts of its legacy, it also celebrates it in one scene. Tony Todd, the horror icon who played William Bloodworth in all but one of the movies, died last November at the age of 69. He’s a big part of the series, and makes one final, classy farewell at the beginning of the third act. While clearly frail, he adds gravitas to proceeding, and in turn is given backstory to his character.
Final Destination Bloodlines will not be as deep as some of the other big ticket horror films coming this year, but with fresh eyes on the mythology this new beginning focuses on what works about the franchise, and in doing so creates the best film in the series.
• Final Destination Bloodlines is in cinemas now