FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES: A Bonkers Bloodbath for the Next Gen — & Beautiful Farewell to a Horror Legend

Tormented by horrifying nightmares, a young woman learns that her family is on Death’s list after her grandmother stopped a deadly disaster decades prior. As the newest installment in the iconic franchise, Final Destination Bloodlines is a bonkers bloodbath for the next generation. And between the chaos, a beautiful farewell to a horror legend.

Back in 1968, a young woman named Iris had a haunting premonition of a building collapsing, killing many. Over 50 years later, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) has vivid nightmares of the event, realizing the woman is her grandmother whom she’s never met.

Despite her father’s warning, Stefani tracks Iris down, a recluse who’s long been paranoid about an unseen force. Iris warns that Death is coming to get their entire family to rectify lives that were never meant to be. Thus, leading Stefani and her cousins to try to find a way to cheat death.

Final Destination Bloodlines is hellbent on changing the formula and what we’ve grown to expect from these films. Kicking things off with an explosive opening that leans heavily into people’s fear of heights, set at the opening of the Sky View restaurant in the ’60s. And it’s the first major flashback of the franchise—we won’t count the twist in Final Destination 5. This is such an entertaining, edge-of-your-seat sequence of events that is such a thrill to experience in the theater. With songs like “Burning Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash and “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” by B. J. Thomas to set the macabre tone. And the events of this night set off Death’s fixation on the survivors—and their descendants.

The “bloodlines” aspect adds a new concept into the mix, so this sixth entry to the franchise doesn’t feel like a rehash of older films, while thankfully not undoing our perception of past events. Though I believe it fumbles to build on that idea of generational curses and traumas. They don’t quite stick because Stefani and Iris have no emotional connection to give it weight. And the film attempts to add to this further with Stefani and her own estranged mother, Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt). But again, there is no real weight, and it ends forced and cheesy.

But that aim at a deeper meaning doesn’t overpower the wicked fun the film cooks up. The twisted humor is amped up, as is the carnage. Death’s a funny guy, and how he chooses to take characters out is just as wacky and ridiculous. We can thank writer Guy Busick for this (he co-wrote with Lori Evans Taylor), as he has written horror comedy gems before, like Ready or Not and Abigail.

This film is stacked with many memorable deaths, but it also has a lot of great fake-out moments. Like I said, the carnage is amplified in this. Even the deaths you’re expecting are met with a shocking amount of blood and guts. And the film does have this great bit on how “death doesn’t like when you fuck with his plans” and how he’s going to go a bit over the top to make a point. This film surely uses it to its full potential.

I was also impressed with the younger cast, who are the main drivers in the story. Aside from Stefani, we have her little brother Charlie (Teo Briones) and her three cousins Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) and Julia (Anna Lore), who all serve in their respective roles. But it’s Richard Harmon as the eldest cousin Erik who absolutely steals the show. He’s this ultra-emo character that has such a wit and enigmatic energy to him, fully a scene-stealer in every moment.

But there’s also one character that gets a short and sweet moment, someone who has been a pillar in the franchise, the one and only Tony Todd, who sadly passed away last year. While his character William Bludworth has always been quite looming in the films, in this, his presence is like a warm hug. He gives a beautiful speech that’s a lovely send-off on his terms. While it fits within the story, it reaches out from the screen as if it’s a personal message for every horror fan.

Like the films before it, Final Destination Bloodlines serves as a reminder of all the absurd ways to die. Although it takes misguided attempts to explore deeper themes, it remains a thrilling experience that embraces the inevitability of human mortality. While I can reflect on some of its illogical choices, such as why Iris would turn her house into a complete death trap despite her fear, I believe the film fulfills its purpose of conveying the franchise’s core message: you cannot cheat Death.

Final Destination Bloodlines hits theaters May 16