Final Destination Bloodlines: A much-needed (and violent) return to theaters.

This might be a strange question to ask at the beginning of a review for one of the most ridiculous and outlandish horror movies of the year, but I am going to ask it anyway. What is the purpose of horror? This is a question that plagues our modern movie market, as new films flood our theaters. Horror films have always been a land of far-out and grotesque films, but a lot of them, at least for the viewer, had the primary purpose of escaping. Within horror, you have a realm that can be so distant from the life you're living, where your fantastical nightmares are born into threatening and visually stimulating films. However, in the 21st century, we have seen a backlash to this. Films that point out the real horrors that surround us. These movements were spearheaded by visionaries like Ari Aster, with Hereditary, which explored the horrors of family and grief with a demonic backdrop, and Midsommar, which threw in the horrors of relationships and family (again). This movement is often called “elevated horror”, a name which feels like it's trying maybe a little too hard. Now, of course, before this movement, there were deep and dark horror films like The Shining or (one of my new favorites) The Vanishing. However, it seems there has been a deep need for horror movies to prove themselves worthy of existing. It's not enough to be an entertaining thrill ride; it needs to be saying something more. And many of these films are amazing, and I am not trying to discount that, but I am excited to say that Final Destination Bloodlines is a breath of fresh air. A film that understands exactly what it is, a bloody good time, and that's it.

If you somehow don’t know, Final Destination is a series that follows a simple but effective pattern. Each film begins with a set of new characters put in a regular situation, getting on a plane, driving down the highway, etc, and then, they all die in some disaster, plane crashing, log truck releasing upon drivers, etc. But it turns out that this situation is simply a vision of the future given by an unknown source to the lead of the film, who then saves the set of characters. But doing such a thing upsets the course of death, and death always gets what it wants. So one by one, usually in a particular order, each person who was supposed to be there dies in some ridiculous or orchestrated way that death sets out. There are ways to trick and escape death, but most of the time, this is only temporary; in the end, death always prevails. Now, this sounds quite grim, and the concept alone is, but these films are presented in a delightfully strange and almost comical way, and yet still scratch the itch in the back of your head, bringing those random fears to life. 

The series before Bloodlines had five entries spanning from 2000 to 2011. And now, after such a long break for the series, it feels like a long-lost specter has returned to the theater to haunt a new generation of moviegoers, and that new generation is eating it up. It has already grossed 190 million at the box office and continues to generate revenue, suggesting it could be one of the best-selling horror movies of the last few years. But why is this old formula working so well? Let's dive into it. 

This follows a similar, but expanded version of the series formula. A college student, Stefani, is haunted by a vivid nightmare of a disaster in a sky-high restaurant that could have happened. Turns out that Stefani’s nightmare is simply the premonition that her now estranged grandma had the night she got proposed to. She saved over a hundred people that night, but ever since, death has been creeping up and taking back what is his. And now it is Stefani’s family's turn to die, as they all should never have been born. Now, compared to other entries in this series, Bloodlines has some clear themes and ideas it is dealing with. Stefani’s grandma, Iris, has gone crazy from trying to protect her family from death, so she has completely secluded herself and estranged herself from her children. She basically brings her granddaughter into this mess and passes it on to her. This is pretty clearly a take on shared family trauma, not a unique or in-depth one, but it still is saying something compared to some of the previous installments. I think another thing that puts this film ahead of some of the previous ones is the set of characters that surrounds it.

The family is trapped within this twisted plan that death has designed features a set of fun and actually likeable characters. The series is known for having a lot of characters who are either flat pieces of cardboard who are only there to be thrown into the street and ran over by a bus, or jerks who you want to die. This set of family members is simple and not super original, but a lot of fun and easy to cheer on. The standout for me is Erik, played by the funny and energetic Richard Harmon. He dances across the screen, working as a great sarcastic foil to the serious and passionate Stefani. Usually, those sorts of characters are really unlikable, but his love for his family and need to survive make him a wonderful watch. The directors seem to know this, as he is in 3 different death-threatening sequences, all of which were a lot of fun to watch him try to navigate. He has excellent chemistry with the whole cast, bringing that cheesy charm that the film needed. The other performance I want to highlight is the late great Tony Todd in his last role. He is one of the few ties that the films share as a sort of mysterious force that explains to the heroes their current situation. And not to spoil things, but even within the series, it seems like this was a farewell to his character. He brings such a wonderful, scary, yet strangely comforting aura to this series, and this film is no different. His scene left me feeling sad but also charmed and delighted. 

Now let's delve into some of the aspects that, unfortunately, hold this film back from being a classic, but don’t worry, we will shift back to the positive elements in a bit. Sadly, two major sequences are full of some nonsensical CGI scenes. The opening scene with the restaurant is a lot of fun and well put together, but it leans a little too heavily on the computer for me. It's when the film relies on some really smart, practical effects that I think it shines, and we will discuss that in a bit. However, that opening scene was difficult to grasp. I feel the same about the very end of the film, which uses some silly CGI that took me out of the fun of the scene. I think there is some questionable writing near the beginning of the film. Once there is a real flow to the story and kills are around any corner, the script really locks in. However, all the simple character-building elements felt (I'm sorry to say this) AI-generated. Like, just the most normal expositional character stuff I have ever seen. Now, is this me asking too much of a Final Destination movie? Maybe, but there is SO much good in this film that it's hard not to imagine what this could have been with just a little more time in the cooker. 

Now on to the star of the show, what anyone who sees this movie is really there for, the kills. I am happy to say that this film, I think, hit the perfect level of shlocky fun and real nail-biting scenarios. I think this can be seen in the opening restaurant sequence, which is so fun. There are some great quick and comedic kills which show some poetic justice, but once the Iris character meets her fate, we are faced with vivid gore and great sound design as she falls to her death. It's a great mix of fun, creativity, and real horror. Most other kills here are great, some I wish they took more time on, the main one I am thinking about is the first kill after the opening sequence. But the rest are pretty great. Some of which I think will go down in the history of the series as some of the best. Like the one in the hospital, which was drawn out just the right amount, then hit with such a satisfying, horrific end. All of the great ones are using a lot of practical effects, they have released some of the behind-the-scenes, and it makes me love this whole thing way more. Later installments of the series had a bad reputation for too much CGI, and this one, in spots, falls into that, but when it uses practical stuff, it looks fantastic. 

Now, on a more personal note, this was just an amazing theater experience. I think, like I said up top, horror is often trying to justify itself and make itself more deep than it is, for better and worse. But this movie gets what it is: a simple story with likeable enough characters, filled to the brim with creative and fun kills. I was laughing, jumping, and cringing throughout this whole thing. That is why people are running to this movie, its a true escape and just straight up fun. If every few years they came out with one of these movies, I would be a happy man. 

This film is a Pop for me, with a note. See this movie in theaters with friends; you won't regret it.