Horror fans know exactly what to expect from this gleefully sadistic conveyor belt of grisly supernatural murders, and the latest attempt at a Final Destination revamp delivers it in spades.
When almost every horror film deemed worthy of a cinema release either shies away from the truly sickening gore or else has to be a heavy-handed metaphor for trauma, grief or repressed sexuality, it’s refreshingly fun to see a thriller franchise lean back into the trashiness.
Revisiting the Final Destination franchise has been a joy for horrorheads now many of them are available to find on either Netflix or Prime Video – a relentless barrage of dumb teens or young adults flailing around hilariously contrived Rube Goldberg machines of torture and violent demise, implied to be orchestrated by Death when a lead character avoids disaster after a chilling vision.
Now, directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein give the tried and tested formula a much-needed shot of adrenaline with Final Destinations Bloodlines, immediately setting it apart from the rest of the franchise with a staple vertigo-inducing set piece of carnage, but this time set in the 1960s.
This exhilarating first 20 minutes is quite easily the best Final Destination has ever been, a thrillingly devised death trap combining tension, music and even a convincing romance for a gripping prologue where every kill is a side-splitting punchline.
Unfortunately, the rest of the thriller struggles to find that same momentum, though Bloodlines thankfully embraces the series’ leanings towards horror-comedy. Less a snarky, Scream-esque satire of the horror genre and more like an Airplane!-inspired slapstick farce in which no death is too ridiculous or has too many buckets of blood.
Hurtling forward to the present day, we follow college student Stefani Reyes (played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who is being haunted by a recurring nightmare about the same disaster witnessed at the start. She eventually tracks down the source to discover a family member narrowly avoided a terrifying fate, only for Death to start invisibly hunting down the descendants of those involved.
This expository section is the most tedious Final Destination Bloodlines ever gets, with a helping of thinly-drawn family drama and some allusions to the original films that veer dangerously towards the overly precious nostalgia of certain ‘legasequels’.
Main cast members Juana, along with Teo Briones portraying Stefani’s doe-eyed younger brother Charlie as well as Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner and Anna Lore as their cousins, do their best to struggle through the set-up and establish some believable chemistry, considering everyone in attendance is well-aware they’re simply there as fodder for the latest deathtraps.
Once the staple splatterings do start happening, though, it’s impossible not to grit your teeth in sympathy as body parts you never thought could be crushed, sliced and removed quite like this are eviscerated without prejudice. While these maybe aren’t the most creative kills in the franchise they’re definitely near the top of the list and are guaranteed to awaken a handful of new fears.
Lipovsky and Stein’s visual approach, combined with some helpful modern visual effects, also ensure each deadly mouse trap is laced with tension and tangibility, with certain morbid images lingering with you long after the victim has stopped breathing.
There’s also an unexpectedly genius twist for the inevitable cameo from Tony Todd’s cryptically imposing William Bludworth, commonly theorised to be Death himself or a manifestation of the devil by fans thanks to his eerie knowledge of the series’ sadistic rules.
Sadly passing away from stomach cancer last year aged 69, Todd easily has the most presence in the film with an appearance shorter than five minutes, delivering atmosphere and gravitas in an expository scene that would normally slow the narrative down but instead feels vital here.
A fitting tribute to the horror star that manages to distil his chilling, baritone delivery as well as adding some surprising dignity to Final Destination’s most iconic character in just a few lines.
Don’t expect any meditative treatise on death and family trauma here. Final Destination Bloodlines is simply the latest entry in a franchise that knows what its fans want, as well as what they didn’t think they needed, and goes above and beyond to deliver it with passion and a wicked sense of humour.
A must-see with a like-minded crowd prepared to laugh, wince and keep their eyes peeled for deadly machinery on their way home.
Final Destination Bloodlines will be released in cinemas on Wednesday, 14th May.