There are only a few horror franchises that reinvent the wheel. Franchises like 'Halloween', 'Scream' and 'The Conjuring' - look, horror sub-genres not only perfectly capture them but define them. The original 'Final Destination', released in 2000, did just that - it changed slashers in the way 'Scream' did before it. Instead of the typical slasher trope of having a physical presence doing the killing, death is never physically present. Add to this its wildly creative and ridiculous kills, and there's no surprise as to why this is one of the most iconic and enduring horror franchises of all time. From log trucks, tanning beds and oh so much glass, the franchise has some of the most iconic deaths in film history. After the last entry in 2011, it's time to return to the franchise with 'Bloodlines'.
SWITCH: 'FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES' TRAILER
This film follows the Campbell family. Iris Campbell (young: Brec Bassinger, '47 Metres Down: Uncaged'; old: Gabrielle Rose, 'A Dog's Purpose') has a premonition at the opening of the Skyview Restaurant Tower in 1968, where she sees the glass floor breaking and causing mass deaths. She manages to save the lives of everyone there. Due to the vast number of lives saved, Death has been slowly going through all the bloodlines present that night and finishing the job. In the present day, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana, TV's 'The Flash') is having nightmares of her grandmother's premonition. She soon learns that now Death has reached her bloodline, and her whole family is next on his list. Her mother, Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt, Disney+'s 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'), her Uncle Howard (Alex Zahara, '2012'), her brother Charlie (Teo Briones, 'Wind River') and cousins Erick (Richard Harmon, 'The Age of Adaline'), Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner, Netflix's 'Julie and the Phantoms') and Julia (Anna Lore, TV's 'Gotham Knights') are all next to die.
The 14-year wait is well worth it, with the gore bloodier than ever. The formula of the previous instalments is still present, but it does just enough differently to make it feel fresh. The real success is the kills; they feel bigger than ever.
'Final Destination: Bloodlines' is the excellent return fans have been craving for with this franchise. I'd compare it to 'Scream (2021)' is just how well it brings a horror franchise to a modern landscape. The 14-year wait is well worth it, with the gore bloodier than ever. The formula of the previous instalments is still present, but it does just enough differently to make it feel fresh. The real success is the kills; they feel bigger than ever. From the opening Tower sequence to MRI machines, garbage trucks and of course logs - they are so brutally executed and a pure delight to watch unfold.
The only character to appear in multiple films is William John Bludworth, or JB, portrayed by Tony Todd ('Candyman'). Todd lost his life last year, and 'Bloodlines' is his final film role. The film has truly a beautiful and touching scene involving him that is both the perfect sendoff for the character and a tribute to Todd's legacy.
'Final Destination: Bloodlines' truly is everything one could hope for from this franchise's return. It's another prime example of how to do a nostalgic sequel right and is the perfect modern direction to take this franchise. Fans of this series will be more than pleased with the truly phenomenal kills, and it once again proves why this is one of the horror genre's most iconic franchises.
